A man was nabbed after cops alleged he stole from a business and then fled police. Around 12:50 PM Tuesday, Falls Township police were alerted by loss prevention staff at the Home Depot on Commerce Boulevard that a person was leaving the store with a cart full of merchandise without paying, according to court papers.
A loss prevention staffer told Corporal Victoria Crosier that the suspect touched his right hip with his hand when the employee advised the man to stop. He then allegedly said: “Leave me alone. I have a gun.”
The officer found suspect – identified as Rafael Romeo Rivera, 43, of Bayonne, New Jersey – as he loaded his car. He then sped away in his Saturn through the busy shopping center, causing pedestrians to “take evasive action,” police said.
Rivera drove through the busy connecting shopping center and ended up getting caught in an area of the parking lot with only one exit and a surrounding high curb, police said.
“[Rivera] made several excited utterances where he admitted the retail theft at the store, police said.
In court documents, police said Rivera stole a table saw, nail gun, two tubs of Tide pods, and a bottle of fabric softener. Rivera does not have a license and two previous convictions for retail theft, police said.
Rivera was charged with robbery, retail theft, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment, fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving without a license, reckless driving, and careless driving. He was arraigned by District Judge Jan Vislosky and jailed on 10 percent of $100,000 bail… Levittown Now
