LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lucerne man who led sheriff's deputies on a high speed chase earlier this month remains in custody on charges that include causing serious bodily injury to passengers in his vehicle.
Ruben Flores, 25, was arrested by the sheriff's task force on the afternoon of Sept. 9, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Flores had led Lake County Sheriff's deputies on a high speed chase in and around Upper Lake at around 2:30 a.m. that day, as Lake County News has reported.
Lt. Steve Brooks said the pursuit began when deputies tried to perform a vehicle stop on Flores for not switching his high beams to low beams and for an improper lefthand turn as he turned onto Old Lucerne Road.
From there, Flores led deputies on a high-speed pursuit that passed Upper Lake High School on Clover Valley Road, and continued through town, eventually ending up on Elk Mountain Road, Brooks said.
Brooks said that when the pursuit got onto Elk Mountain Road, Flores was passing over double-yellow lines and driving on the wrong side of the road, on blind curves, at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.
In the area of White Rock Canyon Road, Flores' vehicle swerved and hit a dirt shoulder, then corrected before finally overturning and rolling onto the passenger side in a creek, Brooks said.
Flores has four adult passengers, one male and three females, said Brooks. Deputies originally had reported all were juveniles.
Brooks said Flores crawled out of the vehicle and fled, leaving his passengers behind as the rear undercarriage of the vehicle caught fire and became engulfed in flames.
Northshore Fire responded to the fire, which spread to the vegetation and burned about an eighth of an acre, Brooks said.
Brooks said all four of the passengers had complaints of pain, and one appeared to have a seizure after the collision.
Deputies saw Flores in the driver's seat and recognized him. He also was identified by witnesses at the scene, according to Brooks.
Later that day, the task force went looking for Flores, who Brooks said has had numerous contacts with law enforcement and a history of resisting and evading officers.
Flores was found as he was walking out of a residence on Highway 20 in Upper Lake and taken into custody, Brooks said.
Flores initially was booked on a misdemeanor bench warrant and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing officers, and felony charges of evading peace officers with disregard to safety, hit and run causing injury and evading peace officers resulting in serious bodily injury, according to jail records.
Since his arrest, additional charges have been added, including misdemeanor driving on a suspended license, and felony counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and assault with a deadly weapon.
His booking sheet shows his bail currently is set at $385,000. As of Monday, he remained in custody, and he's scheduled for a Tuesday court appearance.
Flores previously had been named as a suspect in a Lakeport stabbing in late July, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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