One of two Los Angeles men who committed a string of robberies in a 10-day span that ended in the duo leading law enforcement in a freeway chase before crashing a stolen car into a tree and then running across six lanes of highway traffic during rush hour was sentenced Thursday to more than nine years in prison.
Anthony Flores, 28, was convicted in July after a three-day trial in downtown Los Angeles of interference with commerce by robbery — known as a federal Hobbs Act crime.
Along with the 110-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera ordered Flores to pay $10,439 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Beginning in May 2023, Flores and co-defendant Ivin Kitu Sanford robbed two BevMo stores in Long Beach and Lakewood, stealing high-end liquor stored behind security glass and, in some instances, threatening employees with violence, evidence showed.
The men would then sell the liquor on Instagram.
At the Long Beach store, Flores stole more than $2,600 worth of liquor and at the Lakewood store, he escaped with around $800 worth of liquor, according to federal prosecutors.
Flores also conspired to rob two additional BevMo stores located in Pasadena and West Covina, prosecutors said.
In June, Flores and Sanford attempted to rob a Canyon Country BevMo store. The men physically subdued a store employee and attempted to steal high-end bottles of liquor. The defendants then drove away in a stolen silver Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate and tried to evade officers during a traffic stop.
Flores and Sanford led law enforcement on a chase through Los Angeles County before crashing into a tree. After the crash, they ran across the 14 Freeway during rush hour. Officers later found the two men hiding among bushes in a remote area.
Sanford, 32, who was convicted at trial along with Flores, is set to be sentenced Jan. 30 in Los Angeles federal court.
The case against a third suspect, Jacob Hardgraves, 27, of Los Angeles is still pending and is not currently set for trial.