WIlkes-Barre, PA – Last Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department reported an incident involving theft, evading arrest, and criminal trespass on 69 Hanover Street and 231 Horton Street.
The occurred on April 10,, at approximately 11:24 a.m. Officers noticed a white Hispanic male suspiciously casing a property on Hanover Street. The male was seen walking towards the side door carrying an item in his backpack before swiftly leaving, prompting suspicions of theft.
The observing officers suspected a theft based on their observations and disseminated a description of the suspect who was later spotted diverting his path upon noticing a police vehicle. Officer Lewko confronted the male on the Church Street side of Geisinger South, instructing him to halt.
Upon exiting Lewko’s patrol vehicle, the male, displaying signs of nervousness, fled into a hospital, initiating a foot pursuit inside the medical facility. Subsequently, the male escaped the hospital and fled towards Carlisle Street, where a report to County 911 indicated him jumping fences in the Gates Street area.
Officer Ortiz located the male near a property on the 200 block of Horton Street but upon seeing the marked police vehicle, the suspect retreated into a backyard.
Ortiz tracked the male to the rear of 231 Horton Street, where he entered the residence through a crawl space. After being ordered out and into custody, the male was identified as Angel Vergara. Officer Lewko subsequently arrived at the scene, confirming Vergara as the same individual who had fled from him at the hospital earlier.