Felon charged with robbing Palm Springs gas station patron, trying to steal car
City News Service
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A probationer accused of robbing a Palm Springs motorist at a gas station, then unsuccessfully attempting to take his car, was charged today with armed robbery and other offenses.
DeShaun Flowers, 38, was arrested and booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio on Sunday following a Palm Springs Police Department investigation.
Along with robbery, Flowers is charged with two counts each of assault using a semiautomatic firearm, attempted carjacking and resisting arrest, as well as one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a loaded gun.
The defendant, who is being held without bail, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center.
According to police, shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, Flowers confronted the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, as he was pumping gas at a station in the 2700 block of North Palm Canyon Drive, near Racquet Club Road. The defendant allegedly brandished a Glock handgun and demanded the driver’s money, which he surrendered.
The man wasn’t injured.
The defendant then jumped into the victim’s vehicle and tried to get it started but couldn’t, at which point a bystander tried to intervene, prompting Flowers to flee, police said.
In response to 911 calls from witnesses, patrol units swarmed the location, spotting Flowers as he allegedly tried to run away. He was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit, according to investigators.
Court records show Flowers has documented prior convictions in Los Angeles, Monterey and Kern counties for auto theft and assault. No priors in Riverside County were listed.