Driver in Chase Faces a 3rd Strike

The man suspected of leading sheriff’s deputies on a car chase -- which ended in the officers’ firing 120 rounds into a residential neighborhood in Compton -- was charged Friday with felony evading and driving under the influence of drugs.

Winston Eugene Hayes, 44, faces up to 25 years to life in prison if found guilty because it could be his third “strike” or felony conviction and could result in an enhanced sentence, prosecutors said.

Hayes was injured by the gunfire and treated and released from a hospital. He is being held in jail in lieu of $1.04 million bail.

On May 9, deputies tried to question Hayes because they said his white Chevrolet Tahoe matched the description of a similar vehicle involved in a nearby shooting. But Hayes took off and several patrol cars followed him, according to authorities.

Patrol cars surrounded Hayes’ vehicle. As three deputies walked toward him, Hayes, who was unarmed, backed up.

Deputies opened fire, unleashing a barrage. They sprayed bullets wildly into homes, narrowly missing some residents and injuring one of their own.

The shooting outraged homeowners and civil rights advocates. Sheriff Lee Baca has publicly questioned the deputies’ tactics, and nine of the 10 officers, including the one who was wounded, have since apologized through a lawyer.

Hayes was convicted in 1983 of attempted arson, and in 1993 of felony assault on a peace officer.

He also has six misdemeanor convictions.