A 20-year-old man accused of striking two pedestrians near UTEP and then walking away from the wreck has finally been arrested, more than six weeks after the crash left both victims with lacerations and a car crumpled against a rock wall. Ruben Adrian Martinez was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on two counts of collision involving personal injury or death, tied to a September crash on North Mesa Street in west El Paso.
A September Night Turns Violent on North Mesa
According to court records cited by KTSM 9 News, the collision happened around 9:30 p.m. on September 26 in the 2800 block of North Mesa, a stretch of west El Paso near the UTEP campus. Investigators say the car carrying Martinez was heading northbound before turning toward a nearby Walgreens, striking two pedestrians who were walking with a group of friends on the sidewalk. The vehicle then crashed into a rock wall after hitting them, per the same account.
The two injured pedestrians were identified as Genevieve Rose Garcia and Aaron Esteban Cepeda. Garcia reported lacerations to her right knee and ankle, while Cepeda sustained lacerations to his left arm, legs and back, the station reports.
Suspect Allegedly Fled on Foot, Left Car Behind
Rather than stopping to help, Martinez left the scene on foot without rendering aid, leaving the crashed car behind, the outlet's report states. Garcia said she saw a friend talking to Martinez, who was apologizing, while Cepeda said he heard Martinez apologize for the crash but never actually saw him. A separate witness said he confronted Martinez, who apologized before walking away — and that witness later identified Martinez through a photo lineup.
Martinez did not go far. The same reporting indicates he went to a nearby store and waited inside a friend's vehicle before being taken home.
Martinez Tells Investigators He Panicked
When investigators eventually caught up with him, Martinez told them he had been riding in a friend's vehicle and was planning to pick up his girlfriend near North Mesa that night. He said he did not see the pedestrians while turning until it was too late, and that he attempted to swerve at the last second but still struck them, according to the account relayed to KTSM.
Martinez admitted he panicked and walked away from the scene, and said he never called 911 to report what happened. Those admissions, laid out in the same reporting, form the basis for the two felony counts now filed against him.
Booking, Bond, and What Comes Next
Jail records show Martinez was booked on November 9 and released the following day after posting a $50,000 cash or surety bond. KTSM 9 News, which requested Martinez's mug shot from the El Paso Police Department, says it plans to update the story as more information becomes available.
The charges against Martinez fall under Texas law governing crashes involving injury, a category covered broadly by Texas Transportation Code provisions addressing a driver's duties after a collision resulting in injury or death. No court date or additional case details had been released as of the latest update.
