Driver speeding from cops hits SUV, killing 8-year-old and 2 others, Texas police say

A 21-year-old Texas man is facing murder charges after police say he caused a fatal crash while fleeing from officers, officials told news outlets.

Carlos Alejandro Martinez, of Horizon City, was speeding in a 2004 Nissan Armada when a police officer spotted him on the morning of Oct. 14, El Paso police told KVIA.

The officer tried to pull over Martinez, but police said he kept going, the station reported. Martinez continued speeding even after the officer gave up the chase, according to police.

Martinez blew through a red light on El Paso’s southeast side, near the Ysleta port of entry, and crashed into an SUV, police told the El Paso Times.

The SUV burst into flames while two women and an 8-year-old girl were trapped inside, police told KTSM. The victims, who police have not publicly identified, died at the scene, the outlet reported.

Two others were riding with Martinez when he crashed, police told KTSM, adding that both were injured, one seriously.

Police said Martinez tried to leave the scene and an officer used a stun gun because he wouldn’t comply, KVIA reported.

Martinez is facing three counts of murder and a charge of evading arrest causing death, the El Paso Times reported. His total bond is $3.5 million.

This story was originally published October 15, 2023 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Driver speeding from cops hits SUV, killing 8-year-old and 2 others, Texas police say."