An assault suspect escaped while being processed in a magistrate's office in Tarboro shortly after midnight Thursday.

<b>TARBORO, N.C.</b> — An assault suspect escaped while being processed in a magistrate's office in Tarboro shortly after midnight Thursday.

Authorities said that Pinetops police brought a man suspected of assaulting his girlfriend to the magistrate's office at 3005 Anaconda Road in Tarboro. Although he was handcuffed, the man broke away and fled on foot. A search was under way.

The suspect's name has not been released.

Pinetops police called the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office for assistance in tracking down the suspect.

Anyone with information about the suspect's whereabouts should call Pinetops police at 252-827-5014.

Anne Johnson

Assault suspect escapes in Tarboro

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