HOUSTON – Charges have been filed against a man accused of causing the death of an Uber driver by fleeing from a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy during an attempted traffic stop.
Deputies said Daniel Martinez, 27, is charged with causing the death of Bismark Asare, 40, on Sunday, Aug. 2. Charges include felony murder and failure to stop and render aid. Martinez was arrested without incident Thursday.
Deputies said they observed a man and woman involved in an apparent domestic disturbance in a parking lot at the intersection of Westgreen and Park Row around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 2. The man and woman then got into a gray Chrysler 300 and left the parking lot with the deputy following, authorities said. The deputy activated his lights and sirens after seeing the car being driven at 90 mph in a 50 mph zone. Authorities said the driver initially stopped in a U-turn lane, but then sped away, initiating a pursuit that lasted about three minutes.
Investigators believe Martinez was driving about 118 mph when he swerved around a Honda Accord driven by Asare in the 18200 block of the Katy Freeway eastbound service road, giving the deputy little time to react before striking Asare’s vehicle. The Chrysler 300 also crashed and Martinez fled on foot, deputies said.
A male passenger in Asare’s vehicle survived the crash and the deputy was not seriously injured, authorities said. Other deputies arrived at the crash scene and began performing CPR on Asare after finding him unconscious in his car. He was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital, deputies said.
Investigators believe two passengers in Martinez’s vehicle – a male and female – also fled the scene. Charges have not been filed against the passengers at this time, although the investigation is ongoing, deputies said.