Driver suspected of hitting scooter rider during 3 hour police pursuit faces four charges

An Inglewood driver has been charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors related to a three-hour police pursuit in which a scooter rider was hit and injured, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced.

Karl Flores, 34, was scheduled to appear in the Airport Courthouse Monday, Jan. 14, on felony counts of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle causing serious bodily injury and hit-and-run driving resulting in injury to another person.

He also faces two misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving causing property damage, officials said. A criminal complaint says two police patrol vehicles were damaged during the pursuit.

It wasn’t immediately known if Flores entered a plea.

The pursuit started in Culver City just before 11 a.m., Jan. 3, spanning 80 miles. It ended when the fleeing driver ran out of gas on the 5 Freeway in Camp Pendleton.

Authorities used a police dog and fired two rounds from a beanbag shotgun in taking the driver into custody 40 minutes after the pursuit ended.

The chase began when Culver City police attempted to stop a Honda sedan for a vehicle code violation, police said. The driver did not stop and officers began pursuing the vehicle, but called it off shortly afterward for safety reasons.

Minutes later, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter alerted Culver City police that the vehicle had struck a man on a motorized scooter in the 7800 block of Manchester Avenue, Culver City Police Sgt. Tony Dunlap said.

The scooter rider was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. The impact caused damage to the fleeing vehicle’s windshield.

The LAPD took over the pursuit and attempted four PIT maneuvers, but the driver got away. He then entered the southbound I-405, and the California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit near Carson.

The third PIT maneuver shattered the Honda’s rear window and the fourth dislodged its rear bumper.

The pursuit went through the South Bay, Long Beach, Orange County and San Diego County.

During the pursuit, Flores’ wife reportedly contacted police, telling them he was an Army veteran who suffered from PTSD.

Flores is being held in lieu of $175,000 bail. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of more than eight years in state prison.