Authorities said a high-speed chase Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Rutherford County involved the suspect in a murder investigation.
Rutherford County Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg said Matthew Scott Flores, who has active warrants up and down the East Coast, was taken into custody after a crash just off Main Street and Hollis Road in Ellenboro.
According to a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper, Flores, who was driving a red Kia with Florida tags, took police on a chase through McDowell County and into Rutherford.
Sinclair-affiliate WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida, said it had confirmation from the family of 74-year-old Gary Levin, who was last seen Monday, that the vehicle involved in the Rutherford County chase belonged to the missing Lyft driver.
Authorities said the suspect in Rutherford County ultimately wrecked near Hollis Road and took off running before he was arrested.
According to troopers, a Stop Stick was deployed and a PIT maneuver was used to stop the vehicle.
Troopers said the suspect was taken to the hospital at his request.
"I’m told Flores requested to be transported to the hospital," Ellenburg said. "We’re being told he doesn’t appear to have any major injuries."
The U.S. Marshals Service is taking the lead in the case, local authorities said.
WPEC has reported that Levin, of Palm Beach Gardens, left to pick up a fare in Delray Beach with a scheduled drop off in Okeechobee at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. He hasn't been seen since.
WPEC said investigators with Palm Beach Gardens police said Levin's car, a red 4-door Kia Stinger, was last seen in Gainesville on Wednesday, Feb. 1, after being spotted in Miami and Okeechobee.
Levin's daughter told WPEC she last saw her father Monday when he left to pick up customers at about 1 p.m., and his phone went dark about an hour later.
Ellenburg said Flores is wanted in North Carolina for probation violation. He is also wanted on a murder charge in Florida.
"This is one of those deals where, the type of crime that the suspect was wanted for, we had to pursue until the suspect was apprehended,” Ellenburg said.