Clovis-area wrestling coach arrested in DUI crash, hitting SUV with wrestler’s mom inside

A Buchanan High wrestling assistant coach was arrested after crashing into an SUV that had two women inside, including a mother of one of his wrestlers.

Gabe Flores, 35, faces DUI charges from a collision that happened around 10 p.m. Friday near Peach and Shepherd avenues in north Clovis, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.

Family members of the victims hit said Flores was driving a Honda Crosstour at a high speed and rammed a GMC Denali from behind with such force that the SUV spun multiple times and skipped over a median and into oncoming traffic.

The two women in the Denali suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to a hospital, where they both were eventually released this weekend.

One of the women is the mother of a current Buchanan High wrestler who works out regularly with Flores, according to the victim’s mother Lisa Vivian.

“One of the first things that my grandson said was ‘I can’t see him anymore. How can I ever be around him again?’ It was very upsetting,” Vivian said. “I could’ve lost my daughter. My grandchildren could’ve lost their mom.”

The two women, in total, are mothers of nine children.

CHP spokesman Mike Salas said Flores was cited/arrested at the scene but released due to COVID-19 precautions.

It is unclear if there were other passengers in Flores’ vehicle.

Clovis Unified spokesperson Kelly Avants said the school district is conducting an investigation that likely will extend into the week.

“Allegations that one of our employees was a driver in a DUI accident is deeply disturbing, and does not reflect the high standards of behavior we expect of those who wear a Clovis Unified employee badge,” Avants said. “District officials are working with local police to learn more about the accident to inform any appropriate employee discipline.”

Buchanan wrestling is considered one of the top programs in the country and has captured six state championships including a current stretch of five straight state titles.

Flores, a former star wrestler at Illinois and Clovis High, has served as lead assistant under Buchanan coach Troy Tirapelle.

In addition, Flores works at the high school as a student liaison.

“He should do the honorable thing and step down,” Vivian said. “If not, I really hope the school or the district does the right thing. You have an obligation to the students. This can’t be tolerated.

“The students shouldn’t have to just deal with the situation and deal with someone who carelessly could’ve killed their mom.

“We have no ill will toward him,” Vivian said. “We just hope he gets the proper help. He can’t be afforded another opportunity to do this to someone else.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 11:54 AM.