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SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of using a metal pole to severely beat another man who was living in a tent in downtown Salt Lake City has been arrested.
Christopher Michael Flores, 53, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.
On Monday, two men were in a tent near 220 South Rio Grande when two other men came up to them and demanded food, according to charging documents. The two men, Flores and another only known by the moniker "Gorilla," then demanded a Thermos container one of the victims had. When he refused, Flores and the other suspect used a "stick and large metal pole" with a hook on the end to hit the man, the charges state.
That's when the second victim stepped in and tried to help his friend. Flores and the second suspect turned their attention to the second victim and violently beat him. That man, Bernardo Perez-Romero, was left unconscious with a skull fracture. He was taken to a local hospital where he was intubated and unresponsive as of Tuesday, according to charging documents.
A laptop was also stolen during the assault and later found in another tent, the charges state.
