Driver faces murder charges; 4 dead in El Paso weekend traffic collisions
An 8-year-old girl and two women died when a driver allegedly fleeing from El Paso police ran a red light and slammed into their SUV on Saturday morning near the Ysleta port of entry, officials said.
Carlos Alejandro Martinez, 21, of Horizon City, faces three counts of murder in a horrific incident that began when he allegedly ran from police trying to pull him over for speeding, officials said.
Two women ages, 37 and 27, died in the collision along with the young girl. Their names have not been disclosed pending notification of family, police said.
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The crash was part of deadly weekend on El Paso's streets including a separate traffic accident in the far East Side.
One person died and three others were injured and taken to a hospital after a four-vehicle collision at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at Loop 375 and Montana Avenue, police said. The crash scene shut down the northbound lanes of Loop 375.
SUV driver was running from police
Shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, Martinez was allegedly driving a brown 2004 Nissan Armada at a high speed going eastbound on the César Chávez Border Highway when a police officer attempted to pull him over near the Padres Drive overpass, police said.
Martinez allegedly accelerated and "the officer disengaged the traffic stop" because of the speed, a police news release stated.
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The fleeing vehicle took the Zaragoza exit, allegedly ran the red light and slammed into three other vehicles at the intersection with South Americas Avenue next to the Ysleta Port of Entry, police said.
The women and girl who died were in a tan 2008 Mazda Tribute.
SUV bursts into flames on video
A video on social media showed two SUVs crashed and severely damaged up against a traffic light pole at the intersection.
In the TikTok video, a man, later identified as Martinez, is attempting to open the rear hatch of an SUV when a police officer shoots him with an electric stun gun and the man falls sideways to the ground.
Police said Martinez was shocked with a Taser because he wasn't obeying the officer's commands and may have been attempting to leave.
In the video, law enforcement officers drag the man away before flames erupt, flowing out from the bottom of the SUV as onlookers off camera yell, saying there's people trapped inside. The SUV becomes engulfed despite efforts by law enforcement officers to douse the flames with fire extinguishers.
The vehicle caught fire while the occupants were still inside, police said in a statement.
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Also stuck in the collision was a blue 2017 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Jasmin Rodriguez, 29, of Illinois, and a silver 2017 Toyota Tundra driven by Victor Arnoldo Cardenas Lorta, 31, of El Paso. Police did not report that they were injured.
Driver to be jailed on $3.5 million bond
Martinez and his passengers, Alex Bolado, 24, of Horizon City, and Isaih Dominguez, 21, of El Paso, were injured and taken to hospitals. Police described Dominguez's injuries as serious.
Once discharged from the hospital, Martinez will be booked into the El Paso County Jail on three counts of murder and causing a death while evading arrest under a total bond of $3.5 million, police officials said.
Both cases remained under investigation by the police Special Traffic Investigations Unit.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 4 dead in El Paso traffic crashes in the far East Side, Lower Valley
