TANNERSVILLE, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Two men have been arrested after they allegedly committed retail theft at the Pocono Premium Outlets and led multiple police agencies on a chase.
On Thursday, October 17 around 2:40 p.m., officers were called to a retail theft at Tommy Hilfiger Outlet in the Pocono Premium Outlets. While searching the parking lot, a witness told officers a suspicious man was next to his car and a blue Mercedes.
Police said they saw the Mercedes trying to leave the shopping complex and officers attempted to stop the vehicle. However, investigators say the driver reversed striking a police vehicle then struck another police vehicle head-on.
A police chase began as the suspects exited the outlets and tried to get onto Interstate 80 but made a u-turn hitting a marked police car for a third time, offices reported.
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The Pocono Township Police Department said they chased the suspect's car and used a tire deflation device to deflate both front tires causing the suspects to drive through the grass, coming to a stop on the North 9th Street ramp.
The two men, later identified as Juan Munoz-Meneses and Nicolas Vargas Duran fled the car, and ran down into a ravine, across Pocono Creek. Munoz-Meneses, who admitted to being the driver was taken into custody by state police. Police stated Vargas Duran fled onto Tanite Road in Stroudsburg and was captured after hiding under a tarp in a neighboring backyard.
Munoz-Meneses was charged with aggravated assault, fleeing police, evading arrest, retail theft, receiving stolen property, accidents involving damage to attended vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, and other related offenses.
Vargas-Duran is facing evading arrest, retail theft, and receiving stolen property.
Munoz-Menese remains in the Monroe County Correctional Facility on $75,000 secured bail while Vargas-Duran was given a $40,000 secured bail.
