An alleged thief in New Mexico picked the wrong people to try to carjack when the football player, whose car he tried to nab, delivered a beating that left him under arrest and with blackened eyes and multiple bruises.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident Angelo Drew Martinez, 20, reportedly asked for a ride from a group of three football players who were coming out of practice at the Loma Linda Community Center.
The players agreed, but shortly after leaving, they found that Martinez, who has a record of auto theft and shoplifting, didn’t seem to have a particular destination in mind.
At some point, they pulled over, and Martinez allegedly whipped out a gun and demanded that the players get out of the car. As he tried to get into the driver’s seat, Martinez fumbled with his weapon, and the players used that opportunity to jump the would-be thief.
Police say the three players beat Martinez relentlessly. After tying the man up, they found that he had a knife in his pants. The players also discovered that his gun was not real. They then called the police.
Upon arrival, police reported finding a note in the suspect’s pants pocket saying, “give me the keys to your wip and a nobody get heart [sic]. I know where you live so don’t make me kill.”
The suspect’s mugshot revealed by KOAT on August 18, shows a bruised, scratched, and swollen man with blacked eyes puffed up and nearly swollen shut.
Martinez was placed under arrest for the attempted carjacking and four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, the latter of which is a felony.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.