UPDATE: FATAL VICTIM IDENTIFIED / DRIVER AT FAULT CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER
3850 Justice Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938 
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar / PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Direct: (915) 538-2119
Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)
Release Date / Time: Monday, MAY 4, 2009 1:20 PM
SECTION: El Paso County Sheriff's Office – LOWER VALLEY PATROL / SPECIAL TRAFFIC INVESTIGATORS (STI)
EVENT: TRAFFIC FATAL UPDATE
LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: Intersection of Los Tules & Borrego San Elizario, TX
DATE / TIME: Sunday May 3, 2009 4:39 PM
RESULT: VICTIM IDENTIFIED / ARREST MADE
SAN ELIZARIO, TX- UPDATE: Sunday afternoon 05-03-09 at about 4:39 PM, Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the the San Elizario Car Wash located at 12020 Socorro Rd. San Elizario, TX in reference to a Hit & Run motor vehicle accident. Deputies arrived a short time later and met with several witnesses who told authorities that a white Chevy 1500 pick-up truck was driving erratically in the area & drove onto the car wash & struck a black 1993 Acura Integra (front end to front end). The driver of the truck sped off leaving the scene of the accident. As Deputies were obtaining information, 2 minutes later- at about 4:41 PM dispatch operators received several 911 calls indicating an accident had just occurred at the intersection of Borrego & Los Tules San Elizario, TX. Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the intersection to find 2 white Chevrolet SUV’s with extensive damage at & near the intersection. Responding Deputies quickly tended to the injured and found a Hispanic male (54) unresponsive deceased on scene. Special Traffic Investigators (STI) were summoned to the scene.
Further investigation by STI’s determined that the prior crash that occurred at the car wash at Socorro/Enrique Perez was related to the fatality in the same criminal episode. According witnesses at the car wash, a white 2002 Chevy truck 1500 (occupied by 3 male subjects-ages 33, 54, & 55 ) driven by a Hispanic male intentionally drove into the car wash & struck a parked vehicle that was unattended. The truck continued to travel around the car wash and then fled the scene of the accident. A witness jumped into his vehicle and began to follow the truck in an attempt to obtain the license plates to call 911.
According to witnesses following, stated the truck was being driven at a high rate of speed and traveling recklessly in the residential area. The driver of the truck proceeded to run several stop signs as he approached the intersection of Los Tules. The intersection is regulated by a two way stop, signs posted and visible, for vehicular travel on Borrego. The driver of the white truck ran the stop causing a white Chevy Tahoe, west on Los Tules, to strike the right passenger area of the truck. The violent impact caused the truck to spin out of control, then slide on the driver's side, flip onto the roof, then go front first at a slight angle into a cinder block fence and electrical pole. The truck finally ended up against the cinder block fence that surrounds the home located in the 400 block of Borrego facing south.
During the course of these harmful events, the right front passenger of the truck was ejected from the truck. The passenger (54), not wearing a seatbelt, landed on the ground where he instantly died “on scene” due to his injuries..
The 19 year-old driver and 18 year-old passenger of the Chevy Tahoe were transported from the scene with minor injuries.
The 33 year-old driver and a 55 year-old passenger of the Chevy 1500 were transported with minor injuries.
The victim was identified as Jesus Manuel Martinez (54) of the 1300 block of Paseo Del Convento San Elizario, TX.
The driver of the truck was positively identified as Jorge Contreras (33) of the 12200 block of Licha in San Elizario, TX. Contreras was arrested & charged with Manslaughter. He remains at the El Paso County Detention Facility under an $80,000 bond.
ARRESTED:
JORGE CONTRERAS (33)
CHARGE: MANSLAUGHTER- $80,000 BOND
(NOTE: INDIVIDUAL ARRESTED / SHOWN ABOVE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW)
THIS FATAL ACCIDENT MARKS THE 4TH FATALITY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LIMITS IN 2009.
IDENTITIES OF ALL OTHERS WILL NOT BE RELEASED AT THIS TIME.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
(PHOTOS OF ACCIDENT BELOW : COURTESY EPCSO)
END OF NEWS RELEASE
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.