LOCKPORT, NY — A 55-year-old man faces multiple charges after allegedly shoplifting from a store and leading police on a pursuit through several municipalities while driving a stolen vehicle.
Tracy R. Maracle, who has no permanent address, was arrested May 1, 2026, following the incident that began at the Runnings store at 5789 South Transit Road.
A Niagara County Sheriff’s deputy who was at the store on an unrelated matter was alerted by store personnel that a white male was leaving through the front door with a large reusable shopping bag filled with unpaid merchandise, which activated the anti-theft alarm.
A sales associate followed the suspect on foot, but he was uncooperative and refused to stop.
The deputy exited the store and began a foot pursuit in the parking lot, but the suspect entered a vehicle with the bag of unpaid merchandise and drove north onto South Transit Road.
The deputy pursued the vehicle using emergency lights and sirens, but the suspect refused to yield.
Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police units pursued the vehicle north into the City of Lockport, where City of Lockport Police Department units joined the pursuit.
During the pursuit, authorities determined the suspect vehicle, a blue 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, had been stolen in the Town of Lockport the previous evening.
The vehicle traveled through the City of Lockport, re-entered the Town of Lockport, and proceeded into the Town of Cambria and then into the Town of Pendleton southbound on Campbell Boulevard.
The vehicle turned eastbound onto Devonshire Lane, where it came to a stop.
Maracle was uncooperative and had to be forcibly removed from the vehicle before being taken into custody.
Maracle was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, a felony, and misdemeanor charges of petit larceny, unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree.
He was also issued 66 uniform traffic tickets for various violations.
Maracle was remanded to the Niagara County Correctional Facility pending arraignment.
The stolen vehicle was recovered and returned to its owner, and nearly $600 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered and returned to the Runnings store.
