By Tatum Mitchell | News Editor
Waco police arrested local attorney Pablo Martinez, Jr., Thursday night after he was accused of trying to run a group of Baylor students over with his truck when they would not let him enter their home or join their gathering. No students were injured.
According to the affidavit, about 30 students were outside on the 1500 block of James Avenue when police arrived on scene. They said a man none of them knew attempted to enter their home after he hit a mailbox while trying to park his truck. Police later identified the man as Martinez, the document said.
A senior, who asked not to be identified and lives on James Avenue, was there when the incident happened. The senior said it’s common for around 30 people to be outside because most of them know each other.
The student said a group of men who live on the street were going house-to-house watching a baseball game when someone asked him to go outside to speak to Martinez, who said he was a sophomore and claimed to know them.
“He was really just being a smart aleck,” the senior said. “I couldn’t tell if he was drunk or what his deal was. I thought he might’ve done drugs.”
According to the affidavit, after denying him entry, the students followed Martinez back to his truck and got his license plate number. Martinez, who the students said appeared intoxicated, then drove through four lawns toward them.
“He was going straight at us,” the senior said. “It wasn’t like he was messing with us. He had intent to hurt people.”
According to the affidavit, the students had to “run and dodge” the truck.
“[He] pedal-to-the-metal, full speed, goes straight at us,” the senior said. “If our door to our house wasn’t open, I’m not kidding, I think people would have died. People would have got seriously hurt. And thank God it was open because we all — a majority of us — just dove in the house, just sprinted into the house. There were guys on the floor diving. … Once I saw him floor it, I was expecting that his car would be in our living room, the way he was driving.”
Tyler senior Will Wallace said he did not witness the incident, but he lives nearby and spoke to people at the scene.
“He decided to get in his truck and … drive through the yard as fast as he can,” Wallace said. “He almost hit a few of our friends and people that we know.”
According to the affidavit, an officer later saw a vehicle matching Martinez’s truck description hit a barrier at the 500 block of S. Eighth Street.
Officers could not locate Martinez at his home address but later found him in his truck in front of La Quinta Inn and Suites. According to the affidavit, police found three firearms in the vehicle, and Martinez would not take a sobriety test or submit to a blood test.
Martinez was arrested for DWI, 12 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of striking fixtures. Twelve Baylor students said they wanted to press charges. Martinez remains in jail as of Friday in leisure of $69,000 bail.
“I’m kind of surprised something like that happened here because it’s … a little bit absurd,” Wallace said. “I’m just glad everyone’s safe. No one got hurt. That’s the big thing. But I hope nothing like that ever happens again to anybody.”
