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Man charged in early Thursday morning Cleveland strip club shooting

Posted at 6:24 AM, Feb 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-23 13:54:35-05

A Cleveland man is facing charges after an early Thursday morning shooting at a strip club that resulted in at least one person being injured. 

Mark Watts is charged with felonious assault, tampering with evidence, carrying a concealed weapon and criminal damaging for the 2 a.m. shooting at Secrets strip club on Brookpark Road, according to a Cleveland police report. 

Watts, 27, is accused of shooting at least one man following a dispute over a cellphone recording. 

The man, who had multiple gunshot wounds, was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in serious condition.

Cleveland police were called to the club after shots were heard by officers with the Parma Police Department. Parma officials also responded to the scene.

Shell casings were found throughout the parking lot and were marked by shot glasses. At least one car was hit by the gunfire.

Officers observed people running out the back door of the club as shots were being heard in the front. Moments later, Watts was seen leaving the strip club and throwing a gun in a dumpster. 

An officer stopped Watts and ordered him to the ground. But Watts got up and ran away as the officer checked his surroundings, the seven-page report said. 

Watts was also able to get away from the officer during a brief foot chase. He and another man were later detained by the officer as they tried to leave the strip club parking lot in a car.  

Witnesses told police they heard multiple shots coming from the patio area of the club. They saw a man with dreads with blonde streaks wearing pajama pants and a white T-shirt holding onto his waistband, the report said.

Another witness said they saw two men fighting immediately following the shots. 

The shot man later told police he thought Watts was recording him, so he approached him and asked him why he was recording him. 

Watts told the man he was not recording him and showed him his phone. Thirty minutes later, Watts approached the man and started arguing with before shooting him in the arm, the report said. 

The man was shot several times as he attempted to wrestle the gun away from Watts. 

The shooting remains under investigation.