His gun was used in a drive-by; but he was behind the wheel in Prosser chase

A Prosser man behind the wheel in a recent drive-by shooting claims he stopped chasing the victim when he realized the other vehicle was headed to the police station.

Carmen Vazquez Flores, 23, pleaded innocent Wednesday in Benton County Superior Court to second-degree rendering criminal assistance and possessing methamphetamine.

His trial is scheduled March 26.

The alleged shooter, Oscar Martinez, has a Feb. 26 trial date for his role in the Dec. 22 incident.

Vazquez Flores reportedly pulled his Acura into a Prosser gas station because Martinez wanted to fight Luis Lopez Ramirez, whose van was parked at a pump.

Lopez Ramirez told Benton County sheriff’s deputies that he did not recognize the driver but knew the front seat passenger. He and Martinez used to work together and had a disagreement several years ago about the sale of a vehicle, court documents said.

Lopez Ramirez said he wanted to avoid a conflict, so he got into his van and drove away. He was followed by the Acura so, at one point when both vehicles were stopped, he got out of the van and threw a metal object at the Acura before taking off again, documents said.

They were at an intersection in Prosser when Martinez allegedly grabbed Vazquez Flores’ gun and fired multiple shots at the van.

Lopez Ramirez was not injured, but one bullet went through the third row of seats and lodged in a spare tire.

Martinez later claimed he was aiming for the tires, hoping Lopez Ramirez would stop and they could fight, court documents said.

Vazquez Flores told deputies he continued to pursue the van after the shooting, but backed off eventually because he believed Lopez Ramirez was driving to the Prosser Police Department, documents said.

He dropped off Martinez at another location.

When Vazquez Flores was arrested days later, deputies allegedly found a bag of meth in his pocket. He told authorities it was for personal use, documents said.

He spent six days in jail before posting bond on $10,000 Tuesday evening.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 7:33 PM with the headline "His gun was used in a drive-by; but he was behind the wheel in Prosser chase."