A probationer accused of robbing a Palm Springs motorist at a gas station, then unsuccessfully attempting to take her car, was charged Wednesday with armed robbery and other offenses.
DeShaun Flowers, 38, was arrested and booked into the Benoit Detention Center Sunday following a Palm Springs Police Department investigation.
Along with robbery, Flowers was charged with two counts each of assault using a semiautomatic firearm, attempted carjacking and resisting arrest, as well as one count of being a felon in possession of a loaded gun.
The defendant pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 19 at the Larson Justice Center and ordered Flowers held in lieu of $135,000 bail at the Indio jail.
According to police, shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, Flowers confronted the victim as she was pumping gas at a station in the 2700 block of North Palm Canyon Drive, near Racquet Club Road. The defendant allegedly brandished a Glock handgun and demanded the woman’s money, which she surrendered.
The victim wasn’t injured.
The defendant then jumped into her vehicle and tried to get it started, but couldn’t, at which point a bystander tried to intervene, prompting Flowers to flee, police said.
In response to 911 calls from witnesses, patrol units swarmed the location, spotting Flowers as he allegedly tried to run away. He was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit, according to investigators.
Court records show Flowers has documented prior convictions in Los Angeles, Monterey and Kern counties for auto theft and assault. No priors in Riverside County were listed.