A Schuylkill County man pushed the muzzle of a firearm into a Shenandoah convenience store clerk’s body while robbing the store of cash and vaping merch Sunday afternoon, police say.
A second Schuylkill County man was waiting outside in a getaway car and drove him from the scene, police allege. Both men were arrested hours later after officers stopped the car in Schuylkill County.
Joshua Mercado, 20, of Shenandoah, is charged with robbery, burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment. Leonardo Pagan Ortiz, 26, of Shenandoah, is charged with robbery. Police allege he conspired with Mercado to commit the holdup.
Shenandoah Police received a report of a robbery at the Friendly Food Mart at 415 S. Main St. just before 1 p.m. Sunday. Patrolman Cristian Vazquez responded, joined by officers from the Frackville and Mahanoy City borough police departments, Butler Township police, and State Police-Frackville.
Investigators determined that Mercado walked into the store and accosted the on-duty clerk with a firearm he was carrying. At some point he pushed the muzzle of the gun into the clerk’s body and pushed and shoved her as he entered a separately secured portion of the business where the cash registers are kept, according to police.
Mercado got into the registers and also took vaping merchandise from the store’s inventory, police say. The business told police that $390 was taken during the holdup and the value of the stolen merchandise has yet to be determined.
Mercado then left the store and got into a waiting vehicle driven by Pagan Ortiz, police say. Police allege Pagan Ortiz knew Mercado had just committed the robbery and drove him away from the scene and through Schuylkill and Luzerne counties.
Responding officers put out a description of the suspect vehicle to other area law enforcement agencies, police say. Hazleton City Police relayed shortly afterward that the vehicle had been spotted and was last known to be traveling south on Route 924. State Police and several assisting municipal departments stopped the car in Brandonville, East Union Township, and arrested both men.
Mercado’s robbery and burglary counts are both first-degree felonies, and the criminal trespass count is a third-degree felony. Theft by unlawful taking is graded as a first-degree misdemeanor. Simple assault and recklessly endangering another person are second-degree misdemeanors, and harassment is a summary offense. The lone robbery count against Pagan Ortiz is a first-degree felony.
Both men were arraigned late Sunday night before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli. Mercado was denied bail and committed to Schuylkill County Prison. Pagan Ortiz’s bail was set at $250,000, and he was committed to the same prison after failing to post it.
Preliminary hearings for both men are scheduled for Sept. 3 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker.
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