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KINGSTON — A Scranton man wanted for fleeing the scene of a vehicle crash earlier this month was captured after he initiated a pursuit with police on Monday.

Police said Dariel Vargas, 25, of Capouse Avenue, Scranton, was pulled from his vehicle when officers boxed his vehicle on Main Street ending a pursuit that began on Rutter Avenue in Kingston just after 2 p.m. Vargas struck a police cruiser before he was removed from his vehicle, according to court records.

Vargas was wanted for running away after crashing into a vehicle on Sept. 7, court records say.

According to the criminal complaints:

Police said Vargas ran away after he struck another vehicle injuring a passenger in the other vehicle at Wyoming Avenue and Sharpe Street. Police quickly identified Vargas as the hit-and-run driver and were aware his driver’s license was suspended to to drunken driving convictions.

Police learned Vargas’ girlfriend resides in the 200 block of Main Street.

On Monday, officers spotted Vargas leaving his girlfriend’s residence with her and driving away in a Honda toward West Main Street.

An officer followed Vargas onto Rutter Avenue, where a traffic stop occurred.

Vargas stopped, but as the officer approached the Honda, Vargas sped away, initiating a pursuit.

Police in the complaint say Vargas drove at a high rate of speed on Rutter Avenue, and turned onto East Hoyt Street, failing to obey a stop sign.

Vargas turned onto Wright Avenue, placing pedestrians in danger and nearly struck a woman exiting a parked vehicle, the complaint says.

Vargas allegedly failed to obey a stop sign and turned onto Market Street at a high rate of speed. He allegedly passed through a red traffic signal at Market Street and Wyoming Avenue nearly causing an accident.

Police in the complaint say Vargas slowed when he turned onto Main Street and made hand signals to the officer. An officer pulled next to Vargas’ vehicle and Vargas attempted to drive away, striking the cruiser, the complaint says.

After Vargas was arrested, he allegedly told police he was (“expletived”) because he knew he was wanted for failing to report to the state Department of Corrections Community Corrections Center in Scranton.

Online court records say Vargas has two drunken driving convictions in Lackawanna County from 2017 and 2018.

Vargas was arraigned Tuesday by District Judge James Haggerty in Luzerne County Central Court on two criminal complaints charging him with three counts of accidents involving damage or causing injury, two counts of driving with a suspended license, flight to avoid apprehension, fleeing or attempting to elude police, resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to report to a law enforcement agency as required. He was jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $100,000 total bail.