A Hazleton man stole a handgun from a truck in Scranton, police charge.
Officers responded to the 1000 block of Corbett Avenue on Saturday at 4:21 a.m. for a report of a male suspect going through vehicles, police said.
A woman told officers a man entered her vehicle and returned later, but she had locked it by that time, according to a criminal complaint.
She described the suspect as wearing red pants and a reflective jacket, officers said.
The woman informed officers she didn’t believe anything was missing and forwarded surveillance video to police, according to the criminal complaint.
While searching the area, officers spotted a man — later identified as Luis Caraballo — who was wearing reflective material quickly walking away from a vehicle with an open door in the 1400 block of West Locust Street, police said.
Caraballo (Courtesy Lackawanna County Central Processing)
Officers heard someone climbing a fence and located Caraballo crawling under a porch, also in the 1400 block of West Locust Street, according to the criminal complaint.
The homeowner showed police video footage that captured Caraballo on his deck and damaging a gate on his property, officers said.
Officers recovered a chrome Taurus revolver near the porch along with bolt cutters and miscellaneous items, police said. The revolver was stolen from a Dodge Ram in the 900 block of Corbett Avenue, according to the criminal complaint.
While being taken into custody, Caraballo told police he was going to visit his girlfriend and didn’t understand why he was being arrested, officers said.
After performing a background check, officers determined Caraballo is prohibited from possessing a firearm, police said.
Police charged Caraballo, 29, with theft by unlawful taking, person not to possess firearms and theft from a motor vehicle.
As of Monday, Caraballo remained in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 30 at 9:45 a.m.