EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Police documents describe how two suspects stole a vehicle from the Lower Valley and then tried to outrun the law before crashing into an innocent bystander in Northeast El Paso.
On Monday, Angel Aaron Flores, 22, from Horizon City, and Rafael De Jesus Bustillos, 18, from San Elizario, were arrested at the 8600 block of Dyer Street, near Angel’s Triangle, after law enforcement chased them after spotting them driving a stolen vehicle.
Mugshots: Angel Aaron Flores (left), Rafael De Jesus Bustillos (right). Credit: EPPD
RELATED: Suspected robbers arrested after refusing traffic stop, crashing car in Northeast El Paso
KFOX14/CBS4 obtained police documents that spell out how the vehicle was stolen and the subsequent high-speed chase that ended when the two suspects crashed into an innocent bystander’s car, sending one person to the hospital.
The robbery
According to the complaint affidavit, at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, the El Paso Police Department was called out to an apartment complex located at 9030 Betel Dr. in the Lower Valley after a man reported that two men had stolen his grandmother’s SUV, a white 2015 Jeep Cherokee.
Investigators responding to the call spoke with the victim, who said that at around 2 a.m., he was on his lunch break and grabbing coffee from home when, in the parking lot, he was boxed in by a red SUV, a Mazda Tribute. He then said that one suspect– later identified as Bustillos– jumped out of the Mazda, ordering him to step away from the SUV while showing him that he was armed, lifting his shirt to display a gun tucked in his pants. Fearing for his life, the victim said he walked away, while Bustillos allegedly jumped in the Jeep and drove away, with the Mazda– allegedly being driven by Flores– following behind.
Investigators said the victim also gave them photographs showing the red Mazda Tribute the suspects drove in. This led to investigators sending a BOLO (“be on the lookout”) alert for both the stolen white 2015 Jeep Cherokee and the red Mazda Tribute, which investigators noted had license plates from Minnesota.
The chase & arrest
The next day, on Monday, at around 9 a.m., officers with EPPD’s Auto Theft Task Force (ATTF) found the stolen Jeep Cherokee at an apartment complex at 100 S. Eucalyptus St., near Bowie High School in Central El Paso.
According to the complaint affidavit, officers kept an eye on the stolen Jeep for hours until the afternoon, when they saw both suspects, Flores and Bustillos, allegedly climb into the Jeep and drive off.
At this point, a state trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety stepped in to help ATTF attempt to pull the suspects in the Jeep over, but they reportedly refused, leading law enforcement to a high-speed chase from Central to Northeast El Paso.
The criminal complaint lists several instances where the suspects ignored red lights, weaved in and out of traffic without signaling, reached speeds of 120 miles per hour, drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic, and evaded PIT maneuvers, successfully leaving a TX DPS patrol unit behind unable to keep up after driving down the dividing embankment on US-54 by Dyer Street.
The chase ultimately ended at the 8600 block of Dyer Street, when the stolen Jeep became undrivable following a crash with an innocent bystander’s vehicle. Due to the impact, the bystander’s vehicle was pushed out from the street and into a parking lot where it hit a second car, which was parked and unoccupied. One of the two occupants of the bystander’s vehicle was sent to the hospital after suffering a cut to their head.
Docs: suspects hurt innocent bystander after chase ends in a crash on Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso. Credit: FitFam
According to the complaint, after the chase came to a crashing stop, Flores climbed out of the stolen Jeep, followed the authorities’ commands, and was arrested, while Bustillos allegedly still tried to make a run for it before he was eventually caught, tackled, and handcuffed. As Bustillos was being handcuffed, he allegedly attacked one of the arresting officers, grabbing his crotch and closing his fist tight, causing the officer to feel pain and discomfort.
Witnesses recorded moments from the chase and arrest and shared them with the popular social media account @therealfitfamelpaso.
WATCH:
Video shared on social media showing the arrest. August 3, 2026. Credit: FitFam
The charges
Both suspects were booked on Tuesday into the El Paso County Downtown Jail.
According to jail records, below is the breakdown of the charges each suspect is facing.
Mugshot of Angel Aaron Flores. Credit: EPPD
Flores was charged with:
Aggravated robbery.Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.Evading arrest/detention with a vehicle with previous conviction or serious bodily injury.Fail to stop/render aid in a collision involving injury. Parole violation.
Mugshot of Rafael De Jesus Bustillos. Credit: EPPD
Bustillos was charged with
Aggravated robbery.Evading arrest/detention.Assaulting a peace officer/judge.
As of Wednesday afternoon, jail records show both suspects remain in county jail, Flores under a combined bond of $165,000, while Bustillos under a combined bond of $70,000.
Previous convictions
Court records show that in 2025, Flores was convicted of “smuggling of persons: likelihood serous bodily injury or death.” He was sentenced to five years in prison; however, it appears he was released before finishing his sentence, as even with the 557 days of jail credit Flores had, his release should’ve been somewhere in 2028.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to learn more about Flores’ release.
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