RIO ARRIBA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Body cam footage showed how a chaotic night unfolded in July. It started with a home set on fire and the suspect taking off in an emergency vehicle.
A home was completely burned to the ground in Rio Arriba County. The suspect? The homeowner’s own son.
Deputy: “We started getting information, the best witness is going to be the father, Faustin Martinez Sr., the homeowner. He’s here, he’s up there.“
Story continues below
- New Mexico News Insiders: What Happens When The Rio Grande Runs Dry?
- Investigation: Lawsuit alleges CYFD incompetence led to child’s death in Silver City
- News: Federal tax credit to expire for EV purchases but state credit will continue
- Don’t Miss: 166-year-old New Mexico church undergoing restoration project
That was just the beginning of a chaotic night, as officers pulled up on July 16 to help firefighters, a Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputy said he nearly collided with an Agua Sana emergency vehicle that was speeding away from the scene. That’s when deputies learned Faustin Martinez Jr. had stolen the truck, leading to a chase.
Stop sticks deflated multiple tires before Martinez collided with two patrol vehicles, getting stuck in the dirt.
The firefighter whose truck was stolen, told deputies a fight had broken out between Martinez and his father a few miles from the fire, where Martinez told his father, “I knew I should have killed you last night.” That’s when Martinez ran around the emergency vehicle and jumped in the driver’s seat.
Firefighter: When he jumped in the driver’s seat, I ran and jumped in the passenger seat, and I went to push the button, and you saw I was in the truck a good ways, and then when I fell out of the truck, that’s when you were coming right there head-on.
As Martinez was taken to a hospital in Española, deputies said he bragged about burning his father’s house down. Martinez is charged with assaulting a police officer, car theft, and arson.
