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.