Two local men who allegedly broke into a Fountain Hill pharmacy Tuesday night have been charged in connection with the incident, which resulted in an armed standoff after shots were fired and the men reportedly refused to obey police commands to come out of the building.
Members of an armed tactical unit were part of a large law enforcement response to a standoff that occurred at the Fountain Hill Pharmacy at 1049 Broadway, Fountain Hill, on Christmas Eve. Two men are charged with breaking into the pharmacy to steal medications. According to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office and the Fountain Hill Police Department, one of the men opened fire from inside the pharmacy as police encircled the building, with two bullets penetrating a nearby home.
The men charged in the incident have been identified as Miguel Angel Martinez, 56, of Allentown, and David Montes Vazquez, 33, of Bethlehem. Both are charged with Felony 1 Burglary; Felony 2 Person Not to Possess, Use or Control Firearms; Misdemeanor 2 Recklessly Endangering Another Person; and misdemeanor counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking or Disposition, Prohibited Offensive Weapon and Possessing an Instrument of Crime, according to court records.
According to a joint news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office and the Fountain Hill Police Department, police initially responded to an activated burglar alarm at the Fountain Hill Pharmacy at 1049 Broadway shortly after 9 p.m.
A little after 9:30 p.m.–with numerous law enforcement officers by then on the scene–a Fountain Hill Police officer reportedly notified Lehigh County 911 that he saw two armed men inside the business, which had closed early for Christmas Eve.
The news release said that one of the men then pointed a gun at a Fountain Hill officer. That officer opened fire but didn’t hit either of the men inside the pharmacy, according to the release, which indicated that the office is conducting a separate investigation regarding the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer, as is standard procedure when an officer uses potentially deadly force in the line of duty.
Authorities said Vazquez then fired several gunshots from inside the pharmacy, none of which hit anyone. However, two of the shots “appear to have entered (a) nearby occupied home” in the 1000 block of Broadway, according to the DA’s office.
With a heavy police presence in the area that included at least one armed tactical unit, police and emergency officials issued a shelter in place order for surrounding neighborhoods and traffic was detoured around the scene of the standoff.
“Both men eventually surrendered to law enforcement officers with no further shots being fired,” the news release said. It noted that investigators have already determined that the men “broke into the pharmacy, spray painted surveillance cameras while inside and stole medications.”
At the scene of the break-in, police said they recovered a 9mm handgun that was allegedly used by the men during the burglary, along with five discharged 9mm cartridge casings.
Both Martinez and Vazquez were arraigned Wednesday by District Judge Jacob Hammond and are currently in Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $750,000 straight bail each. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Lehigh County District Court 31-1-06 in Allentown.
According to court dockets, both men are being represented by the Lehigh County Public Defender’s office.
The news release said the incident remains under investigation. Participating in the response and investigation are Fountain Hill Police Detective Raymond Anthony, Lehigh County Homicide Task Force detectives Moses Miller and James Bruchak, the Allentown Police Department, the South Whitehall Police Department, the City of Bethlehem Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police Forensic Services Unit, the Coopersburg Police Department, the Lehigh County Emergency Response Team, the Lehigh County District Attorney Homicide Task Force and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty. This story was compiled using information provided by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office, the Fountain Hill Police Department and Lehigh County court records.
Police tape surrounds the Fountain Hill Pharmacy on Christmas Day, hours after it was the scene of an attempted burglary and armed standoff that involved an exchange of gunshots. Two men are charged in the incident.
