Men Stole $10K Worth Of Clothes: Clinton Police

CLINTON, CT — Two men were arrested Tuesday in connection to the theft of about $10,000 worth of items from stores in Clinton and throughout the state, according to Clinton Police. One of the men attempted to fight with a police officer and was subdued with a Taser, police said. Both men are wanted by U.S. Immigration on deportation orders, according to police.

The men were arrested for their involvement in an organized retail theft at about 5 p.m. on May 8. Police said the men were shoplifting using “beater bags” and were found to be in possession of small tools to remove anti-theft devices.

Responding officers found both men in a vehicle and police say Manuel Antonio Gutierrez, 30, tried to punch an officer before being subdued with a Taser and apprehended. The other man, 55-year-old Francisco Pantoja, ran out of the car and was apprehended by police in the woods behind a residence on Glenwood Road. Police said he was taken into custody without incident.

Inside the vehicle, police found clothes from five stores from Clinton Crossings and other retail stores in the state that were valued at about $10,000.

Gutierrez, of Washington, N.Y., was arrested on charges of assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, organized retail theft and numerous counts of larceny and conspiracy. Police learned that he is wanted by U.S. Immigration on a deportation order. He was held on a $50,000 bond and appeared in Middletown Superior court on Wednesday morning.

Pantoja, of Queens, N.Y., was arrested on charges of interfering with a police officer, organized retail theft, and numerous counts of larceny and conspiracy. U.S. Immigration also wants him on a deportation order, police said. He was held on a $50,000 bond and appeared in Middletown Superior court on Wednesday morning.

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Photos via the Clinton Police Department