A San Marcos man was behind bars Tuesday on suspicion of trying to kill a police motorcycle officer by running him down with a car while the lawman was conducting a traffic stop near Buddy Todd Park in Oceanside.
Roberto Ignacio Flores, 26, was arrested late Monday morning, shortly after he allegedly rammed 29-year Oceanside Police Department veteran Brad Hunter with a silver Dodge Neon on Foussat Road, said OPD spokesman Tom Bussey.
The sedan hit Hunter about 10:30 a.m. as he was standing next to the driver’s side of a pulled-over vehicle and then continued on to the south, according to investigators.
Witnesses reported that the hit-and-run driver appeared to have steered the car into the victim on purpose.
“They say he drove right at him,” Bussey said.
Flores allegedly fled for several blocks before pulling to a stop in a traffic lane on Industry Street near El Camino Real. He and a male passenger then jumped out of the vehicle and ran off, according to Bussey.
Officers found Flores a short time later at a nearby light-rail station and took him into custody.
The unidentified man who had been riding in the Neon remained at large Tuesday afternoon.
Good Samaritans aided the injured officer, who was conscious and alert following the crash, prior to the arrival of emergency personnel. Medics then airlifted him to a trauma center, where he underwent emergency surgery for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The longtime officer is expected to recover, Bussey said.
Flores was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault on a peace officer and hit-and-run. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
— City News Service
