Current:Home > MarketsSouth Texas police officer was fatally shot during a pursuit of 2 men, police say -Infinite Edge Learning
South Texas police officer was fatally shot during a pursuit of 2 men, police say
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-10 07:36:25
SAN BENITO, Texas (AP) — A South Texas police officer was fatally shot after he joined an hourslong pursuit of two men who fled a traffic stop and led officers on a chase through several cities before they were arrested, authorities said.
San Benito Lt. Milton Resendez was fatally shot as his vehicle crossed paths with the suspects’ vehicle late Tuesday night, police Chief Mario Perea said at a news conference Wednesday. Perea said it wasn’t known how many rounds were fired at Resendez’s vehicle but one round struck his front bumper and another went through the driver’s side door, hitting him just below his body armor in the abdomen. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
“He cared about everyone, he got along with everyone,” Perea said.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz said the pursuit began around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on South Padre Island when a truck carrying the two men, two women and two small children was pulled over for speeding on the beach. As the driver was being questioned outside of the truck, a passenger started the truck, the driver jumped into the bed and they sped off, he said.
At one point, the two women and the children got out of the vehicle, Saenz said. The women were detained and questioned.
The two suspects — Rogelio Martinez Jr., 18, of Brownsville and Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez, 23, of Mexico — are facing multiple charges including capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest, Saenz said. Online jail records do not list attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
Saenz said that after the men were pursued into Brownsville, located on the Mexico border, an exchange of gunfire made officers stand back and lose sight of the truck around 5 p.m. After the truck was found disabled, the suspects were then spotted in a sport utility vehicle in San Benito around 10:30 p.m. The confrontation in San Benito is where Resendez was shot.
The pursuit then returned to Brownsville, where the men were arrested after fleeing from their sport utility vehicle after officers disabled it by performing a maneuver where a vehicle is intentionally bumped, Saenz said.
Perea said that Resendez spent about 30 years working as a police officer, with most of that time with the San Benito police.
“It’s hard right now,” Perea said. “We lost one of our own. He worked with us for so long he’s not just a coworker, he’s part of our family now.”
Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that “hearts across Texas grieve with the family and loved ones” of Resendez.
The Texas Rangers are investigating.
veryGood! (937)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Dog caught in driver's seat of moving car in speed camera photo in Slovakia
- Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign asks RNC to change third debate rules
- Police investigate after video shows handcuffed Black man bloodied and bruised during Florida traffic stop
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Nobel Prize in medicine goes to Drew Weissman of U.S., Hungarian Katalin Karikó for enabling COVID-19 vaccines
- With his mind fresh and body rejuvenated, LeBron James ready to roll with Lakers again
- Rookie Devon Witherspoon scores on 97-yard pick six as Seahawks dominate Giants
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- A blast at an illegal oil refinery site kills at least 15 in Nigeria, residents say
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- South Africa culls nearly 2.5M chickens in effort to contain bird flu outbreaks
- The Latest Glimpse of Khloe Kardashian's Son Tatum Thompson Might Be the Cutest Yet
- Conspiracy theories about FEMA’s Oct. 4 emergency alert test spread online
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Army officer pepper-sprayed during traffic stop asks for a new trial in his lawsuit against police
- Amendment aimed at reforming Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system edges toward 2024 ballot
- Seahawks safety Jamal Adams leaves with concussion in first game in a year
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
New Mexico’s governor tests positive for COVID-19, reportedly for the 3rd time in 13 months
The UN food agency says that 1 in 5 children who arrive in South Sudan from Sudan are malnourished
Sheriff Paul Penzone of Arizona’s Maricopa County says he’s stepping down a year early in January
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Trump turns his fraud trial into a campaign stop as he seeks to capitalize on his legal woes
Fuller picture emerges of the 13 federal executions at the end of Trump’s presidency
Want to fight climate change and food waste? One app can do both