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MOAB — Utah authorities believe they have identified the man who led them on a high-speed chase through Grand County in a stolen BMW over the weekend.
Peter Lozano Flores, of Garland, Texas, was knocked unconscious early Saturday morning when he crashed the BMW he was driving into a patrol car occupied by a Grand County sheriff's deputy, according to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.
The crash put an end to a chase that began about 8:30 a.m. when a trooper tried to pull over the BMW for traveling 93 mph on I-70 near Thompson, Grand County, Royce said.
Flores, 41, stopped briefly at some point during the pursuit to let a woman out of the car, then sped off again. The woman, identified later as Courtney York, was detained and transported to Moab for questioning.
Troopers continued to pursue Flores from I-70 to state Route 128, setting up spikes to stop the car. Flores avoided the spikes, though, and turned onto a county road heading toward the La Sal Mountains.
Authorities lost sight of the car at that point, but a Utah State Parks ranger spotted it turning around at the base of the mountains, investigators said.
A trooper and a Grand County sheriff's deputy responded to the area, intent on setting up tire spikes. Before they could deploy the spikes, the BMW drove toward them and stopped.
The trooper ordered the driver out of the car at gunpoint, but Flores accelerated instead and crashed into the deputy's patrol vehicle, according to investigators. The crash knocked Flores out and left the deputy with minor injuries.
Flores was flown to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for treatment. He was released Monday, according to hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank.
Flores was expected to be booked Monday night into the Grand County Jail, Royce said.
Investigators determined the BMW Flores was driving had been listed as stolen in Texas. They also found a stolen Arizona license plate inside the vehicle, and several credit cards and forms of ID that initially made it difficult to identify Flores, Royce said.
York, 20, was subsequently booked into the Grand County Jail, where she remained Monday. She has been "semi-cooperative" with investigators, Royce said.
The case is being handled by State Bureau of Investigations agents, with help from federal authorities.
"Our investigators have talked to the Secret Service because the credit cards found in the car were all fraudulent," Royce said.
