Santa Ana Man Arrested In Hit-And-Run Crash That Critically Injured Couple
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A 45-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony hit-and-run in connection with a crash in Santa Ana that critically injured a couple.
The crash happened about 6:50 p.m. Monday at North Broadway and West Santa Ana Boulevard, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. The couple, who are in their 50s, are in critical but stable condition.
The couple was driving north in a 2000 Nissan Xterra on Broadway, when the driver of a westbound car clipped them, causing the Xterra to swerve, jump the curb and slam into a tree, Bertagna said.
The driver of the other car fled but not before his front license plate fell off.
When police went to the home where the car was registered, they were told the owner did not live there anymore, Bertagna said. Investigators were told the man suspected in the hit-and-run, identified as Guillermo Velasquez Flores of Santa Ana, would be in the area of Willits and Raitt streets, where he was pulled over about noon.
Flores' vehicle had front-end damage, and after questioning, he was booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.
This crash was not Flores' first brush with the law. In April 1995, Flores was arrested in connection with a similar hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian at the same intersection; Flores was even arrested by the same investigator, Bertagna said.
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