Motorist hospitalized after fleeing driver crashes into them

One person was hospitalized Monday evening in Riverside County after a driver fleeing authorities crashed into their vehicle.

It happened around 4 p.m. in La Quinta in the Coachella Valley.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies located a theft suspect and attempted to pull him over but he failed to stop and fled in the vehicle.

A pursuit began, including a near collision with a sheriff’s vehicle, before the deputies gave chase along Avenue 48.

As the pursuit went on, the fleeing driver crashed into an “uninvolved motorist,” ditched his vehicle and fled into a residential neighborhood. A search was conducted and deputies eventually located the suspect, identified as Noe Flores, a 37-year-old resident of Coachella.

Flores was taken into custody and booked into jail to await charge that include grand theft, assault on a police officer and hit-and-run with injury.

The uninvolved motorist was transported from the scene to an area hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office station in Thermal at 760-863-8990.