Witnesses Follow, Stop Car That Hit Northridge Cyclist

A suspected drunk driver who tried to flee after allegedly striking a bicyclist at a Northridge intersection was in custody Tuesday night, thanks to three motorists who witnessed the incident and stopped the man’s car, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.

Juan Flores, 34, of Tarzana was in custody at the department’s Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving, Sgt. Dennis Ruegsegger said. His blood-alcohol level, tested after the accident, was three times the legal limit, Ruegsegger said.

Flores tried to flee after striking Mina Matsuoka, 19, a Japanese exchange student studying English at Cal State Northridge, as she rode her bike across the intersection of Plummer Street and Yolanda Avenue shortly after 2 p.m., Ruegsegger said.

Matsuoka crossed the street against a red light, but she was not cited, he said. She suffered minor scrapes on her arms and was not hospitalized, authorities said. Flores was not hurt.

Continues Driving West

Three witnesses followed Flores in their cars and surrounded his car as he continued driving west on Plummer after the accident, said Mike Fagan, one of the witnesses. Flores pulled over after turning on Wilbur Avenue, about three blocks from the accident, police said.

Fagan said that after the car stopped, he and the other drivers watched Flores, who remained inside his car, until police arrived about 15 minutes later.

“I was going the opposite direction and made a U-turn and caught up with him,” Fagan said Tuesday night. “I pulled up next to him, and he pulled over by the time the other guy got there.”

Matsuoka has been staying with a Northridge family since arriving in the United States less than a month ago, said her host, who asked not to be named. The host said Matsuoka is studying English as a second language and hopes to enroll in a community college in the fall.

Ruegsegger said Flores, whose driver’s license has been suspended since 1986, has seven prior drunk-driving arrests, four of which resulted in convictions.