The California Highway Patrol has arrested the suspected hit-and-run motorcycle rider in a June 2017 road rage crash also involving two cars on Highway 14 in Newhall, officials said Wednesday.
CHP Southern Division Assistant Chief Mark Garrett announced the arrest of Andrew Flanigan, 45, of Arleta, at a press conference at CHP Division Headquarters in Glendale Wednesday afternoon.
After an extensive investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Flanigan, who was arrested in Arleta by CHP Officers on Tuesday at approximately 5:40 p.m.
Flanigan has been booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, felony hit and run, and felony reckless driving.
Bail has been set at $110,000.
Investigators determined an altercation occurred between the rider of an orange motorcycle and driver of a silver sedan on southbound State Road 14 at Newhall Avenue on June 21, 2017.
As a result of the altercation, a collision occurred, causing a white Cadillac to overturn.
A portion of the incident was recorded by a passing motorist and posted on social media (see clip above). The incident received local and national news coverage.
Party #1 was traveling in Vehicle #1 (Nissan) on southbound SR-14 within the HOV lane.
Party #2, Flanigan, was allegedly riding a motorcycle on southbound SR-14 at Newhall Avenue, also within the HOV lane, to the left of vehicle #1.
Party #3 was traveling in Vehicle #3 (Cadillac) on southbound SR-14 at Newhall Avenue within the #2 lane.
Both Party #1 and Party #2 allegedly engaged in an altercation within the HOV lane on southbound SR-14 at Newhall Avenue.
Vehicle #1 (Nissan) subsequently lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into the center divider.
After this collision, vehicle #1 (Nissan) was deflected into southbound traffic #2 lane and broadsided vehicle #3 (Cadillac) which caused vehicle #3 to roll over.
Flanigan allegedly fled the scene on his motorcycle.
Party #3 sustained moderate injuries from the collision and was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
Video courtesy Octavio Fernandez.
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29 Comments
Stephanie Hovsepian Remember that accident!!
Looks to me like the Nissan cut into the diamond lane and almost hit the motorcycle who pushed the car away with his foot. The Nissan then tried to run him into the guardrail but lost control himself and hit the wall then hit the other car. Motorcycle may have been “involved” but Nissan was clearly the one who caused it.
This is so sad. While I feel for the motorcyclist who probably almost got hit by the Nissan coming into HOV lane but…….. His reaction was not okay as it hurt innocent people and could have been a whole lot worse.
Innocent people don’t run away. Deserves what he gets now as it most likely would have been less if he had been upstanding like the kid in the Nissan who did stay and did try to help the old guy in the flipped SUV – the true victim. Two people behaved poorly and only one did the right thing in the end.
Motorcyclists have to allow room for cagers. We see them they Do Not see us.
This was unfortunate all around and an innocent was the one injured. Keep a cool head always!
I’ve ridden cycles 45+ years. I watched video several times and rider used the foot maneuver to to keep from crashing. Why he left the scene is on him.
If your involved in an accident your required to pull over people. The motorcyclist should have kept his foot on his bike, as it is he will now pay a heavy price for doing his “Douce bag Biker impression”
But thats the Harley guys.
Good investigative work !
Curious to hear his side. What did the nissan do that got him heated? I heard it started in acton
Damn that’s a long way to be beefin!
The Nissan guy is 98% at fault. The motorcycle guy should’ve never left the scene.
I agree with both statements from Michelle and Ruben.. first off, I have ridin motorcycles for many years. This guy was on his way somewhere with 0 intent to commit any crime. I completely agree that it doesn’t give you the right to do what he did BUT nothing he did would of happened if the “reckless” driver was not crossing a double yellow line in morning traffic. Also, was this person in the carpool lane alone in the car?
The 14 carpool lane has certain hours for ride sharing. So, outside the hours of Mon-Fri 5-9am, anyone can drive in that lane
Rachel Todd but what time did this take place
Rachel Todd and either way even if it is a timed lane.. you still cannot drive over a double double yellow line
What makes anyone think the kid in the Nissan did not get any kind of ticket or charges? The video only shows a short portion of what went on and the witnesses obviously backed the Nissan and had the motorcycle driver as the aggressor in the multiple miles of interaction not on the tape. None of us were there so playing keyboard detective is not really the right thing. The motorcycle driver will get what he deserves. Innocent people do NOT run away and hide for months and months.
People doing this is one of the most dangerous part of riding in recent times. Drivers dart in and out, over double yellows in order to not get caught. They end up catching motorcycles.
The guy in the Nissan tried to kill the guy on the bike if I remember correctly. How is it the guy on the bikes fault?!
SO let me see if I understand this. Car driver crosses the double yellow, swerves his FOUR THOUSAND POUND car to try and hit the motorcyclist and gets charged with NOTHING. While the motorcyclist who maneuvered to avoid being hit, kicked “AT” {but did not actually make contact) car car who was attacking him and rides on, gets charged with assault with a deadly weapon, felony hit and run, and felony reckless driving? Yeah that’s makes PERFECT sense. Where can I contribute to his defense fund.
“The guy in the Nissan tried to kill the guy on the bike”?? How do you intent from a video? If a driver of a car really wants to kill someone on a bike, it’s pretty easy.
The guy on the bike (and yes, I ride a bike also) kicked the side of the Nissan. Regardless of what the Nissan driver did, that was both illegal and idiotic.
The Nissan driver may have pulled into the HOV lane across yellow lines and did not see the bike. That is not intent to murder, it is being careless and disregarding some traffic laws.
When the guy on the bike kicked the car, there were immediate, terrible consequences. And now, for his angry and ill-advised behavior, he is suffering some terrible consequences himself.
Behaviors HAVE consequences.
You might want to take another look there buddy, I posted a clearer video for ya. The car swerved INTO the motorcyclist and made contact whereas the rider kicked AT the car but didn’t make contact. There is no HIT AND RUN because he didnt “hit” any thing. Should he have stopped? Maybe. Should he be charged with those ridiculous charges that the driver should have been charged with? Hell no. Will he be convicted? Doubtful.
Nick…did you watch the same video everyone else watched? The Nissan driver swerved INTO the motorcyclist. Not AWAY from him. The Nissan drivers reaction (which can be argued as being violent and deliberate) are what caused this accident. Your “bionic boot” theory doesn’t hold water. No kick could ever cause a 4,000 pound vehicle to lost control.
You are not supposed to “cut” into the diamond lane like that at all. Illegal move. I think there was only one person in the Nissan too. Another illegal move.
Cutting off the motorcycle was ALSO an illegal move.
That is 3 moving violations! The motorcycle was angry and kicked the driver door and should be ticked for that, but the Nissan then swerved INTO him not away from him trying to hit him on PURPOSE and while doing something else illegal lost control of his vehicle and caused the accident.
100% Nissan fault for the accident.
Since the motorcycle did nothing to cause the accident I don’t think he had to stop because the Nissan had earlier cut him off. He shouldn’t be charged with that either.
They show us the tape but don’t they watch it themselves? Was the Nissan driver a sympathetic woman or something so they tried to skew it her way?
I agree. It isn’t clear that a vehicle that isn’t hit has any obligation to stop. And the video we are permitted to see has been edited to obscure the part where the car deliberately and illegally crosses the double yellow line into the HOV lane right next to the cyclist to threaten him. Also, the cyclist’s kick didn’t cause the car to swerve at him; the driver attempted to kill the cyclist in response. I’ll bet anything that the car or driver has some connection to law enforcement. A collision like this with a vehicle owned by a cop, no matter who was driving it, will result in a very long list of charges being filed against you. That’s what happened to me. LA area police are totally corrupt.
The story clearly says it was at 5:40 PM on a Tuesday.
That is considered RUSH hour. Also in most areas of southern California the diamond lanes are NOT open for all traffic at certain times. Even in Northern California or certain areas in Southern Calif no traffic other than cars with more than one person or motorcycles are allowed during rush hours morning and evenings.
Just read the signal and saw the update on the motorcyclist that was just arrested. It truly is sad that he is charged with so many felonies, but with his bail being set at 110K (i think he only has to pay 10% to be released if he owns a home as collateral), hopefully he can pay it, get a great lawyer and have a couple of those charges removed, take anger management courses and do some community service to ameliorate his wrong-doing. Thank god no one was killed. However, the D in the Nissan…I hope he is sitting in jail thinking how if he had only kept a cool and leveled head about the situation, he wouldn’t be sitting where he is today. Because he was apparently trying to kill the motorcyclist, I hope he reaps what he sowed. He gets no sympathy from me.
Side note: It takes a bigger man/woman to not engage with some heated, overly-compensating road-rager – to walk (in this case “drive”)away. Any Napoleon Bonaparte can talk S and lose their cool in a split second.
Trust me, I drive an hour and a half to work in the morning, then the same drive in the evening. Day in and day out, whether people (of all socioeconomics, races, ages, mothers/fathers with kids in the car) are texting, talking on hand-held cells, putting on make-up, reading a magazine, notes, book, newspaper, shaving, eating, driving in the HOV as a single driver, or engaging with their passenger(s)- yes, they are Ds and Bs that can care less about and have no consideration of anyone else’s time or life when they swerve into my lane, brake suddenly for nothing – so sure, there are times where I’ve wanted to grab one of these Ds/Bs by the back of their heads and slam their faces against their steering wheel so they know what to focus on (I mean, who hasn’t had a single/minutiae malicious thought), but i don’t and I wouldn’t! Instead, i take a deep breath, inhale the positive and exhale the negative – say a few cuss words under my breath (and if my kids are in the car – in my head)and move forward without incident. Because, as you know, for every action, there is a reaction and we all must take culpability of any consequences our decisions produce.
E.g., Motorcyclist + one kick to a car = arrest record, time in jail, felonies, life has changed dramatically.
Sorry for the long drawn out thought and tangent!
Impossible for a motorcyclist to kick a car into a spin. That car crashed all on his own trying to f with the motorcycle rider.
The rider should have stopped and handed out some more justice to that a hole, after making sure the white truck driver was ok.
Chada Moody
Mandatory dashcams for all vehicles will show just how childish most bikers are on the highways,there doesnt exist a bigger group of morons who frequently dress like extra’s in a bad western movie and pose for attention at various food and bar establishments talking endlessly about that last shiney thing which replaced the other shiney thing that wasnt shiney enough.