A Lancaster, Texas, man opened fire with an AR-15–style rifle at an Ennis police officer during a high-speed chase following a botched kidnapping attempt tied to a drug debt — and now, 24-year-old Javier Martinez is headed for decades behind bars. Martinez pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to a string of violent and drug-related felonies, capping a months-long investigation into his role as ringleader of a dangerous criminal enterprise.
Martinez admitted to one count each of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes stem from a July 12, 2016, plot with co-defendants Jose Cardenas Aguirre, 25, and Melissa Trevino, 23, to abduct an individual over an unpaid narcotics debt. Dressed in black camo and wearing ballistic vests, the trio ambushed the target — but when the kidnapping failed, they fled in a high-octane dash that turned deadly.
As Ennis Police Department units pursued the suspects, Martinez leaned from the vehicle and unleashed multiple rounds from the AR-15 toward an officer. The barrage of gunfire, captured in dashboard footage later reviewed by investigators, missed its target but confirmed the brazenness of the assault. Martinez, identified as the leader of the operation, orchestrated the entire scheme — from planning the abduction to arming his team with military-grade weapons.
But the violence was just one thread in a broader criminal web. Between December 2015 and July 2016, Martinez conspired to traffic significant quantities of heroin and cocaine. On January 7, 2016, he sold one ounce of heroin and offered to move a full kilogram for $40,000. That same conversation included offers to sell an AK-47 for $7,000 and an AR-15 for $1,500. By April 11, 2016, he closed a deal for three ounces of heroin and two AR-15 rifles — all from his Lancaster residence.
Federal prosecutors are treating the case as a textbook example of armed narcotics violence bleeding into public safety threats. Though Martinez faces a statutory maximum of life in prison and a $2.75 million fine, the plea deal calls for a 40-year sentence if accepted by the court. U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle will deliver the final ruling at sentencing on March 2, 2017.
The investigation was led by the Ennis Police Department and the FBI’s Violent Gang Taskforce. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting. Meanwhile, Aguirre and Trevino are set to stand trial on December 5, 2016. Three other defendants in the case have already pleaded guilty and await sentencing. The streets may be safer — but the scars of this Dallas County rampage linger.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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