Update: Kennewick man led police on 2 high-speed chases before jumping off a cliff

A 32-year-old Kennewick man is accused of leading police on two separate high-speed chases and jumping off a 50-foot cliff after he was found passed out Sunday morning in the middle of a Lower Yakima Valley intersection.

A woman and a toddler were inside the vehicle during both pursuits, but were not harmed, according to the Yakima Valley Sheriff’s Office.

The man eventually was captured after he jumped into the Yakima River. He had numerous outstanding warrants, and was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, eluding and first-degree assault, said sheriff’s officials.

His name was not disclosed in a sheriff’s office news release, and a spokesman could not be reached Monday for more information.

Yakima County jail records show Sergio Flores Jr. was booked in at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on the three investigative holds, along with driving with a suspended or revoked license and escaping from community custody.

Bail was set at $50,000 during a court hearing Monday.

Flores’ criminal record dates to 2003 and includes driving without a license at age 15.

He has been arrested five times for eluding or attempting to elude police, and has a pending case in Franklin County for allegedly leading Pasco police on a chase into Kennewick, where he crashed near downtown.

Flores tried to run from officers but was tracked down by a police dog. Drugs, glass pipes, scales and $446 in cash were found in his crashed car, court documents show.

Stopped in roadway

It was 7 a.m. Sunday when another motorist called emergency dispatchers about a vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway at Dekker Road and Yakima Valley Highway, just west of Outlook.

The citizen reported that the vehicle’s occupants appeared to be passed out.

A deputy arrived to find the man and woman both asleep, and a young child in the back. The man, who was in the driver’s seat, had his foot on the brake pedal and was believed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the news release said.

After several unsuccessful attempts to wake the driver, the man woke up and sped off heading west.

The vehicle pursuit went from Granger to Zillah, at which point the driver allegedly started going the wrong way on Interstate 82. The deputy ended the pursuit.

An officer with another law enforcement agency saw the vehicle a short time later on East Railroad Avenue near ZIllah, and that’s when the second pursuit began.

The driver, after realizing he was on a dead-end road, turned around and headed directly for the patrol car, the release said. The officer got out and ran from his patrol car “for fear of being struck.”

The driver sped down a nearby residential driveway, then stopped his vehicle and ran toward the Yakima River, according to the sheriff’s office. With nowhere else to run, he jumped off a cliff into the river.

Deputies were helped by a Department of Fish & Wildlife boat in capturing him.

This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 12:59 PM.