SAN ANTONIO – A suspect is in police custody for his role in a 2022 carjacking and shooting on the South Side that left a man dead.
After a nearly year-long investigation, Jaime Garza, 24, was arrested for his role in what led to the death of Luis Escobedo Flores on July 31, 2022, according to an arrest affidavit from San Antonio police.
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Garza was driving a Cadillac CTS that two other suspects also occupied, the affidavit said.
The trio were “looking for a truck to steal” when one of them spotted Flores’ Chevrolet Silverado parked in a parking lot in the 4900 block of South Flores.
Video surveillance from nearby showed the Cadillac pull up behind Flores’ pickup as he was getting out.
All three suspects exited the Cadillac. Two of them were armed, according to SAPD.
The video showed one of the men pistol-whip Flores before a struggle ensued between the two men.
The other two suspects returned to the Cadillac.
At one point, Flores was able to free himself and get back to his vehicle. That’s when one of the suspects pulled a gun and fired at Flores, striking him.
Flores later died at the scene from his injuries, according to police.
Garza and the other suspect in the Cadillac drove off. The suspect who shot Flores drove off in his pickup truck.
On August 13, investigators received a Crime Stoppers tip that provided the location of the suspect’s Cadillac.
With the help of a police helicopter, a video was taken of two men spray-painting the vehicle.
Undercover units assisted in scouting the location; however, after the two men noticed the helicopter, they ran inside.
A search of the area did not yield evidence of either vehicles or the two men.
Police were contacted on August 15 and were told Flores’ vehicle was recovered in the 8600 block of New Laredo Highway.
A man was in the process of stripping the vehicle, the affidavit said. After being taken into custody, the man was identified as one of the men present in the video from August 13. The other man was identified as Garza.
The man in custody said Garza called him asking for “help with a vehicle.” According to the affidavit, the man met Garza and another man on August 2 and assisted in stripping Flores’ truck. Later, the vehicle was towed to the 8600 block of New Laredo Highway.
Investigators obtained a warrant for Garza’s phone and determined that his phone pinged several times near the location of the carjacking.
After reviewing the video surveillance obtained from near the scene, investigators determined that Garza was not one of the men who exited the Cadillac. Instead, he was the driver of the vehicle.
Garza was arrested on September 6 on unrelated charges.
According to Bexar County court records, his bond for the murder charge is set at $150,000.