Worker with ties to Latin Kings accused in Arlington fatal hit-and-run, warrant says
A construction worker who left his crew while he went to get them dinner is accused in an October fatal hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a motorcyclist, Arlington police said.
That worker, identified as Chuco Mario Martinez, was arrested early Sunday in Castle Hills, which is near San Antonio.
The arrest came just days before Martinez planned to flee Texas to avoid apprehension by authorities, according to a warrant.
Martinez was in the Bexar County Jail in San Antonio on Monday with bond set at $35,000. He faces a charge of accident involving death.
Tipsters provided authorities with information about the fatal crash and spoke on the condition that their names not be used for fear of retaliation from Martinez, who is a known Latin King gang member, the warrant stated.
The fatal crash occurred just before 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at East Sanford Street and North Mesquite Street in Arlington.
Arlington detectives believe Martinez, who was driving a black Dodge Ram truck, was eastbound on Sanford Street when he failed to stop at a stop sign and entered the intersection. The motorcyclist, identified as Marcus Garcia, was northbound on Mesquite Street when he entered the intersection and his vehicle was hit.
Garcia, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, died at the scene. Martinez, who never stopped after the incident, drove away from the scene without attempting to help the motorcyclist, Arlington police said.
The warrant written by Arlington investigator D. Ritcheson provided these details on the fatal hit-and-run:
Martinez, of Uvalde, and two other men were in Arlington in October 2020 on a construction job site.
On Oct. 13, Martinez left the crew to get dinner, driving a 2004 black Dodge Ram pickup truck. He was gone for three hours, returned without food and acted strange.
The pickup truck had no damage when Martinez left, but there was damage to the passenger side when he returned.
Days after the incident, Arlington police obtained home surveillance video that showed a Dodge Ram with fresh damage to the passenger side fleeing the scene of the fatal crash.
On Oct. 20, a Uvalde detective contacted Arlington police, telling them that a confidential informant identified Martinez as the driver in the hit-and-run. The informant said Martinez went back to Uvalde after the crash and told others that he had been involved in an accident where his vehicle hit and killed a motorcyclist, according to the warrant.
An Arlington detective also received an anonymous phone call from someone who knew Martinez, who told him and others that he had taken the “company truck” and hit a guy on a motorcycle.
Martinez said he “messed up” because he failed to stop and hit the motorcyclist, the warrant stated.
Martinez also said he slowed down, saw the motorcyclist not moving, panicked and drove away, according to the warrant.
The caller told Arlington police he wanted to remain anonymous because he feared retaliation from Martinez, who was a member of the Latin Kings, a criminal street gang.
