Man accused of carjacking Good Samaritan days after hitting Benton Co. patrol cars
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hector D. Flores arrested after carjacking Good Samaritan in Richland.
- Flores fled deputies, prompting pursuit and vehicle spin-out near Duportail St.
- Deputies recovered three guns; one reported stolen; Flores faces multiple charges.
A wanted 28-year-old man allegedly carjacked a Good Samaritan Tuesday afternoon while fleeing police in order to avoid going back to jail.
Hector D. Flores is accused of robbery, assault and eluding police in a series of crimes that ended with Benton County deputies chasing him across Richland, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Sheriff’s office detectives had been looking for Flores after he slammed into three patrol cars escaping arrest last week, Benton County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Clark said.
They spotted him driving near the intersection of Duportail Street and Tanglewood Drive, on the southern side of the Duportail Bridge.
When a deputy tried to stop him, Flores sped away. While police didn’t chase him, they had spike strips ready to pop all of his tires. He allegedly drove into Hills Community Park.
Flores came across a stranger in a pickup truck and told him that he needed help. The Good Samaritan decided to give Flores a ride and started to drive him out of the mobile home park.
When they came across a deputy, Flores allegedly took out a gun and told the other man to flee officers. The two men struggled over the gun, and the driver was able to get away. He ran toward the deputy saying Flores “had a gun.”
Flores allegedly slid over to the driver’s seat and sped away, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s detective started chasing the truck and other deputies joined.
Deputies were able to force the truck to spin out near the intersection of the Wellsian Way and Duportail Street. He was arrested. Police found three guns on him. Investigators have found one of them had been reported stolen.
Flores was booked into the Benton County jail for first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, third-degree assault and attempting to elude police.
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM.