Suspect Arrested In Road-Rage Crash Caught On Camera

SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA) -- California Highway Patrol officials announced Wednesday the arrest of the suspect involved in a caught-on-camera road-rage incident between a motorcyclist and a driver on the 14 Freeway.

"We feel we have the person responsible for this incident," CHP Asst. Chief Mark Garrett said.

The CHP arrested 45-year-old Andrew Flanagan in Arleta on Tuesday. Investigators believe he was the biker.

The crash happened on June 21, 2017 on the southbound 14 Freeway near Newhall Avenue and left an innocent 75-year-old man injured.

The incident was caught on camera by another motorist who was just a few car lengths behind the cars involved in the crash.

Video footage showed the motorcyclist drive up to the Nissan sedan and kick at the side of the car.

The sedan then swerved out of control and rammed into a Cadillac Escalade, resulting in a rollover crash.

The motorcycle rider then fled the scene.

Investigators have been tailing Flanagan for eight months to build a case against him.

But they say they were on to him about a week after the chain reaction crash.

Hours after the crash CBSLA spoke to Carlos Benavidez -- the innocent bystander who was driving the Cadillac when it was hit by the Nissan.

"I felt the impact. My truck spun out beside me and I started to roll. I saw nothing but asphalt and sky. And then coming to rest and I looked around to see if I was still breathing," said Benavidez.

The video was captured on a cell phone by a commuter who noticed some back and forth between the motorcyclist and the driver of the Nissan.

Flanagan has been booked on three felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving and hit and run.

The CHP says no one else is expected to be arrested for the chain reaction crash.

"And this should serve as a reminder to all of us to stay cool on the road, no matter how someone else might behave," said Garrett. "To remember the level of danger that a 4,000-pound vehicle or even maybe a 600-pound vehicle can pose to innocent people and of course yourself."

At this point Flanagan's first court date has not been set.