EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The man charged with running over and killing another man at an East El Paso County truck stop had gotten into a fight at a house party earlier that night and chased down those who were involved in that first fight to get revenge.
That’s according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
A second fight resulted in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 20 at the Petro truck stop at 1295 Horizon Blvd.
That second fight culminated in the victim, Leonel Monarrez, 18, being struck and killed by a vehicle early Sunday morning.
Abraham Alvarado, 20, is facing a charge of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Alvarado allegedly struck and killed Monarrez with his SUV and then hit another person who was injured, court documents show.
At about 2:10 a.m. on Sunday, Socorro Police officers were dispatched to the truck stop about a fight in progress. Upon arrival, officers were met by witnesses who reported that a male subject had been run over in the parking lot by a gray SUV.
The victim, later identified as Monarrez, was taken to the hospital by other people at the scene and later died at the hospital, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office and its Major Crimes Unit were asked to take the lead in the investigation by Socorro Police.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office talked to a witness who said that they were at a graduation house party earlier that night with a male subject and his brother, who was identified simply as “AB.”
A fight broke out during the party involving the two brothers, the witness said.
“AB” was hit in the head with a glass bottle during the fight and was bleeding profusely, the witness told detectives.
They all ended up getting into an SUV with “AB” driving. The witness said “AB” followed a group of males he had fought with who were in a Dodge Challenger.
The witness said “AB” chased the Challenger, drove at “very high rates of speed” and ran through red lights to continue the pursuit, the witness said.
The witness said “AB” wanted to follow the other car to get his “get back (revenge).”
The witness said they ended up at the Petro truck stop where they began recording what happened on a cell phone.
The witness provided recordings to police, depicting multiple individuals in a fight in the parking lot.
The footage showed the victim arriving in a black KIA. “AB” is also seen in a physical altercation with an unknown passenger from the Challenger he had been chasing.
Moments later, AB is seen running toward the driver side of his SUV and beginning to flee. The witness said they ran toward the entrance of the truck stop where the victim was on the ground and appeared to be unconscious, court documents said.
Detectives met with another witness, who said he was an occupant of the Dodge Challenger and saw the victim being struck by the SUV.
He said that while he was trying to give aid to the victim, the SUV turned around and struck him, too, according to court documents.
This person suffered injuries to his torso and ankle and had “road rash,” which were consistent with being struck by a vehicle, the court documents said.
During the course of the investigation, “AB” was identified to be Abraham Alvarado, court documents said.
Socorro Police were able to find a gray SUV matching the description of the vehicle in the incident. They found it at a home in El Paso County, which was the listed residence of the suspect, according to court documents.
A search warrant was obtained. Officers found that the SUV had front-end damage and “visible” blood on the hood and inside the vehicle, court documents said.
The suspect was detained at the home along with his brother. The suspect said that after the fight at the Petro, he got into the SUV and admitted to striking the victim but denied striking a second person.
The brother said he was not initially in the SUV and saw the suspect strike the victim with the vehicle, according to court documents. The brother said he then got into the vehicle and he saw a second individual holding a large rock and that the suspect struck this individual as well before fleeing the scene.
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