Two suspected thieves led officers on a 50-mile pursuit in the Houston area this week, but investigators soon discovered that these crooks were more prolific in wine theft than anyone realized.
The situation unfolded on Dec. 15, when Friendswood Police Department received a report that two men had reportedly stolen wine from a local H-E-B grocery store. Upon viewing security footage of the theft, investigators were able to connect the duo to wine thefts at other stores in the area.
Recommended Videos
FPD officials traced the suspects to the Katy area, and they alerted Katy Police Department to the situation. Officers quickly tracked down the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to pull it over. The suspects refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued.
The chase lasted for around 50 miles, but police were eventually able to safely halt the suspects’ car and arrest them in Colorado County.
Their suspicions that these crooks were linked to previous wine heists were quickly confirmed—and then some—as a total of 498 bottles of wine that are believed to be stolen were found in their vehicle.
Michael Diaz, 42, was charged with theft. Juan Carlos Rosa-Torres was charged with theft and evading arrest. Both suspects are currently awaiting further charges in Fort Bend County Jail.
H-E-B provided the following statement:
“We do have internal protocols that help mitigate crime and assist local law enforcement. We are glad the information we provided from our single incident led Friendswood PD to recover additional product stolen from various retailers across the city.”
KPD officials said they are now trying to figure out what other stores might have had wine stolen.