A late-night break-in at Monroe Tobacco and Stuff turned into a near-miss shooting and a fast track to jail for one suspect, after license-plate cameras helped police trace the getaway car to Lexington, South Carolina.
Monroe police say two people used a crowbar to force their way into the shop around 12:30 a.m. yesterday while an employee stayed inside. The worker confronted the intruders, who took off. As they fled, one suspect allegedly turned back and fired into the occupied building, narrowly missing the employee. No serious injuries were reported.
Surveillance footage at the scene, combined with data from license-plate readers, gave investigators a plate number and vehicle description that pointed them to Lexington. Working with Lexington officers, Monroe detectives located the car and identified 60-year-old Sherwin Alfonzo Green of Lexington as a suspect. Green is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting extradition to North Carolina, and detectives are still trying to identify the second person involved.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Green faces a long list of charges: attempted robbery, felony breaking and entering, possession of burglary tools, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a weapon into occupied property and possession of a firearm by a felon.
How police traced the getaway car
Investigators say the key break came from a combo of old-school cameras and newer surveillance tech. Monroe police reported that store surveillance, along with Flock Safety automated license-plate readers, captured the plate, make and model of the fleeing vehicle, along with the time and location.
Flock’s network lets participating agencies query plate data across camera systems in different jurisdictions, which is how Monroe detectives followed the digital trail to Lexington. While law enforcement agencies around the country have embraced the system as a force multiplier, civil-liberties groups have raised alarms about how broadly those searches can be run. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has documented nationwide agency searches of Flock’s network and urged tighter safeguards on how long data is kept and how it is used, especially around protests and other First Amendment activity.
Charges and extradition
Monroe police say Green faces multiple felony counts tied to the break-in and to firing into the occupied store. Prosecutors in North Carolina are expected to handle formal filings once extradition is complete.
For now, Green remains in Lexington County custody while officials coordinate his transfer. The county’s detention bureau handles inmates awaiting court appearances and extradition. Booking and detention information is available through the Lexington County Sheriff's Department detention page.
Detectives have asked anyone with information about the break-in or the identity of the second suspect to contact the Monroe Police Department. Investigators also urged residents and nearby businesses to review surveillance, doorbell or dash-cam footage and share anything that might help move the case forward.
