According to court documents, the incident occurred around 9:10 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2026, when a Shenandoah Borough Police officer was on patrol in the 100 block of South West Street near the intersection with West Oak Street.
Police say the officer observed two males attempting to hide behind a parked vehicle as the patrol car approached. When the officer entered the unit block of South West Street and exited the patrol vehicle, the individuals were recognized as Rodelfy Liriano-Corniel, of Shenandoah, and another male.
Authorities said Liriano-Corniel was known to police as having multiple active warrants for his arrest. The officer exited the patrol vehicle and yelled for him to stop.
Instead, police say Liriano-Corniel turned and ran, prompting the officer to give chase on foot.
According to the affidavit, Liriano-Corniel ran west through the 200 block of West Oak Street, then turned north onto Chestnut Street, continuing through the unit block of South Chestnut Street before reaching West New York Street.
Police said Liriano-Corniel then continued running east in the 200 block of West New York Street, at which point the pursuing officer lost sight of him.
Authorities noted that Liriano-Corniel had multiple outstanding warrants, including:
- A Hazleton City Police Department warrant for Simple Assault
- A Luzerne County Sheriff’s Office warrant for failure to appear in an aggravated assault-related case
- A Shenandoah Borough Police Department warrant for Aggravated Assault and related offenses
As a result of the incident, police filed additional charges against Liriano-Corniel.
Charges Filed
Liriano-Corniel has been charged with:
- Flight to Avoid Apprehension, Trial, or Punishment (Felony 3)
- Evading Arrest or Detention on Foot (Misdemeanor 2)