The woman who police say took a joy ride in a stolen police cruiser and led officers on a chase through the county is not mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Friday.
Felicitas Flores, 22, will instead be taken to a state hospital for treatment. She is accused of taking a San Diego Police officer’s parked vehicle in the East Village on Aug. 15, hopping on the northbound Interstate 5 and refusing to stop for pursuing police.
The chase left a trail of damage in its wake, for police say Flores rammed into two California Highway Patrol vehicles and collided head-on with another police car as officers tried to arrest her.
The suspect finally pulled into an Oceanside rest stop after her tires were spiked in Carlsbad and the stolen car stalled out. The CHP handled negotiations to coax her out of the car and into police custody.
Flores pleaded not guilty at her arraignment to six felony charges, including police vehicle theft, evading arrest, being a felon in possession of a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
At a later hearing, her defense attorney questioned Flores’ ability to understand the charges and assist in her own defense.
The judge ordered mental competency evaluations, and after considering the findings of three doctors, he found Flores mentally incompetent to stand trial.
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While taking court-mandated anti-psychotic medication, Flores will stay at Patton State Hospital for a maximum of three years or until her competency is restored, according to the judge’s decision.
If she does stand trial and is convicted on all counts, Flores faces roughly 15 years in prison.
