Police: Teens lead officers on 10-mile chase over a baseball cap
SAN JUAN -- Police arrested two men Tuesday night after the duo led officers on a 10-mile chase to avoid arrest in connection with the theft of a baseball cap.
Eugene Davila, 19, of San Juan, and Michael Montoya, 18, of Pharr, now face a slew of criminal charges over the robbery and ensuing pursuit.
Police say the men used a machete and an ice pick to threaten 20-year-old Jesse Suarez at the city's skate park near City Hall.
The suspects demanded money, but when Suarez told them he didn't have any, they took his designer baseball cap instead, said San Juan Police Investigator Rolando Garcia.
The teens allegedly drove off in a Dodge Neon, but a witness to the robbery called police while the crime was in progress. When police caught up with the teens and tried to pull them over, they continued to speed away through Pharr and McAllen, Garcia said.
The pair ran a red light in McAllen and crashed their car at the intersection of South 10th Street and the Expressway 83 frontage road, he said. After the crash, the duo fled their vehicle on foot, but police caught up with them a short time later and took them into custody.
Garcia said officers found the machete and ice pick - as well as the designer hat - inside the suspects' car.
"We never said they were smart," he quipped.
A judge arraigned the duo Wednesday, setting Davila's bond at $375,000 and Montoya's at $325,000, Garcia said. Davila also will face drug charges in connection with cocaine and marijuana police found in his possession when they arrested him.
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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.
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This is a corrected version of the originial story, which was based on inaccurate information provided by sources.
