A man was charged with murder after Round Rock police say he hit and killed a 14-year-old pedestrian while fleeing officers in a stolen vehicle.
Leandro Brito-Martinez, 25, was taken into custody following the fatal incident on Sunday evening and charged with murder, records with the Williamson County Jail show.
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KXAN reported that a Flock Safety camera tipped off police about a stolen four-door 2019 Honda on Gattis School Road. Flock cameras read license plates and capture descriptions of vehicles, and then send that data to law enforcement agencies to help solve crimes.
The car was taken that same day and listed as stolen by the Austin Police Department, according to an affidavit obtained by KXAN.
An officer followed the stolen vehicle to a shopping center and then on an Interstate frontage road. The officer then activated the patrol vehicle’s lights and a pursuit started, KXAN reported.
The Honda weaved through traffic and made its way to an intersection on La Frontera and Louis Henna boulevards, near Texas 45 and I-35.
The car struck a 14-year-old boy that was walking on a crosswalk and also struck a Kia, the affidavit states.
Round Rock police said the driver of the stolen vehicle, identified as Brito-Martinez, abandoned the car and ran off, but he was eventually captured.
The 14-year-old had “extensive injuries” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the affidavit, Brito-Martinez said he fled because he had warrants for his arrest. He said he couldn’t stop at the intersection because he was driving too fast.
Records show he was wanted for fleeing a police officer, evading arrest, resisting arrest, fraud and forgery.
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