Johanes Mercado and Howard Morraz. {BSO}
By Kevin Deutsch
Two Miami men were arrested for stealing more than $2,000 worth of goods from a Home Depot in Coconut Creek last week, authorities said.
According to the Coconut Creek Police Department, Howard Morraz, 31, and Johanes Mercado, 28, walked out of the store at 4450 N State Rd 7 on Oct. 11 with a shopping cart full of items they never paid for including screws, bolts, drills, and electric door locks.
The total value of the items was $2,272, police said.
A police officer, responding to a call about the shoplifting in progress, arrived to find both thieves outside the store, along with a Home Depot loss prevention officer, according to an arrest affidavit.
As the police officer detained Mercado, Morraz took off running, police said.
The officer gave chase to the fleeing shoplifter through the Home Depot parking lot, screaming “Police!” and telling Morraz to stop running, the affidavit states.
When Morraz reached State Road 7, another police officer cut him off in his car and took him into custody, records show.
Both men were booked into the Broward County Main Jail on charges of grand theft, police said. Morraz is also charged with resisting arrest.
Records show Morraz was freed on a $1,000 bond. Bond information for Mercado was not available Monday.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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