PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay police are looking for a 23-year-old man accused of using a pickup truck to run over a motorcyclist in January.
An arrest warrant has been secured for Armando Martinez, 23, who is wanted on charges of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and driving while license suspended, according to a news release. Police claim to have identified Martinez through the national “See Something, Say Something” campaign, going off of leads generated by the community, the release states.
Surveillance video captured the hit-and-run crash on Jan. 28. In it, a pickup truck can be seen being abruptly steered into a motorcyclist waiting to make a turn at a stop sign at the intersection of Eldron Boulevard and Collins Street. The pickup truck then backs up over the bike and continues down Eldron Boulevard, the video shows.
Police would later find a truck matching the description of the suspect vehicle at a house where three men were living. The men told investigators that the owner of the truck was not home and had gone to Alabama; aside, police said they were unable to pursue charges at the time due to how the hit-and-run driver’s identity wasn’t already apparent.
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News 6′s James Sparvero spoke with the motorcyclist, Oscar Lazo, who shared his story about the crash and reacted to investigators’ inability at the time to charge anyone in connection with running him over.
Now though, Palm Bay police urge anyone who may know Martinez’s whereabouts to contact investigators at 321-952-3456 (select option 0) or Crimeline at 800-423-8477 to remain anonymous.
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