Two men with no fixed addresses were arrested at about 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning for harassing and trying to get into customers’ cars in the parking lot of a Wawa.
Matthew Lates, 24, and Paul Chapman, 22, were arrested on differing charges originating at the Wawa on Oxford Valley Road near Lincoln Highwy in Middletown, according to court papers.
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Police were flagged down by a customer of the Wawa who told them that men who were possibly intoxicated were harassing and attempting to gain entry to peoples’ cars, officers wrote in their affidavit.
When the officer entered the parking lot, he saw Lates trying to gain entry into a 2017 Jeep. When the motorist tried to drive away, Lates jumped on to the hood of the car. The officer ordered Lates to get off of the car, which he did before fleeing on foot towards Philly Steaks and Beer, ignoring orders to stop, police said.
The pursuit halted when Lates tripped and fell head first into a fence. Lates continued to resist while police tried to take him into custody, flailing his arms, legs and elbows, officers said.
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The owner of the Jeep told police that Lates and Chapman approached him, asking for a ride to the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Upon hearing that the driver would not take them, they allegedly verbally harassed the owner by cursing and spitting on him.
Later at the hospital where Lates was being examined, he allegedly threatened police, saying “I’ll beat your ass, cut your head off and feed you to my cows.”
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Chapman was observed fleeing the scene as soon as police arrived at the scene. Officers eventually apprehended Chapman behind a house on the 200 block of North Oxford Valley Road, police said.
Lates was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and misdemeanors of terroristic threats, simple assault, two counts of resisting arrest, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and a summary of public drunkenness. He was sent to county prison on 10 percent of $75,000 during arraignment.
Chapman was charged with misdemeanors of simple assault, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct and a summary of public drunkenness. Chapman was held in county prison on 10 percent of $30,000.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
