GRANITE CITY – A three-day spree of vehicle thefts has yielded felony charges in three different cases against the same local man.
George Garcia-Flores, 22, listed as homeless out of Granite City, was charged in three separate cases filed on July 21, 2025, each related to stolen vehicle offenses.
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Garcia-Flores is charged with committing the following offenses on the following dates:
Case 1: July 15, 2025 – Offenses related to motor vehicles (Class 2 felony)
Case 2: July 16 – Offenses related to motor vehicles (Class 2 felony)
Case 3: July 17 – Aggravated vehicular hijacking (Class X felony), unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), robbery (Class 2 felony). July 18 – Theft (Class 3 felony).
Petitions were filed in all three cases by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office seeking to deny Garcia-Flores’s pretrial release from custody.
On July 15, 2025, Garcia-Flores allegedly possessed a GMC Sierra which he knew to be stolen.
The petition filed in the first case states the victim told authorities that “a suspect took his keys from a bartop and took his vehicle without permission.” The first petition notes Garcia-Flores “has multiple fleeing incidents pending” and was confirmed as the suspect in this case via video surveillance.
The next day on July 16, Garcia-Flores reportedly knowingly possessed a stolen Ford pickup truck. According to the petition filed in this second case, Garcia-Flores stole a work truck from a local Public Works Department which was parked on the side of a road during lawn maintenance.
“The vehicle was tracked with GPS to St. Louis, where police attempted a stop and the vehicle fled back into Illinois,” the secondpetition states. “A male Hispanic driver fled on foot, but a female passenger was detained. She confirmed that the driver was the defendant, who picked her up in Edwardsville, driving the stolen vehicle.”
The second petition adds Garcia-Flores “has repeatedly fled from police and poses an ongoing risk of flight.” A report of Garcia-Flores’s criminal history also shows a prior Madison County conviction for arson in 2021.
The following day on July 17, Garcia-Flores hijacked an Infiniti G35 coupe by threatening the use of force. The vehicle was occupied by two child passengers, ages 1 and 9. Garcia-Flores is also accused of robbing the vehicle’s occupants of a black and white terrier “companion animal” which was still present in the stolen vehicle when he fled the scene.
The victim in the vehicle hijacking case case reported “leaving his car parked outside a hardware store with his two children inside,” according to the petition filed in the third case against Garcia-Flores.
“Witnesses reported that the defendant entered the driver's seat and ordered the juveniles to exit. One child (age 9) was able to get out, but a second child (age 1) was not,” the third petition states.
“Defendant then drove a short distance and ordered the younger child out. A bystander saw this and helped the second child out, and the defendant fled, stealing the vehicle and the family's dog, still inside the vehicle. Defendant was identified on video surveillance.”
Garcia-Flores then reportedly dropped off the stolen Infiniti vehicle in St. Louis before taking an Uber back to Granite City. Upon arrival, Garcia-Flores “grabbed the Uber driver's phone from his hands and fled on foot,” according to the third petition, resulting in his July 18 felony theft charge.
The third petition further notes Garcia-Flores was identified in a photo lineup and “has been involved in multiple fleeing incidents in stolen vehicles.”
The vehicular hijacking case against Garcia-Flores was presented by the Granite City Police Department. The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force presented the other two cases against him for offenses related to motor vehicles.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office records indicate Garcia-Flores currently remains in custody at the Madison County Jail.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
