chain of events on the Southwest Freeway in rush hour traffic. We’ve learned Garcia has a criminal history dating back to his teen years. >> Abc13’s Jessica Willey joins us live now with some new information from the victim’s family. Jessica. >> Yeah.
Family members identified the victim as 55 year old Noel Lopez, a married father of two adult children. They say he was working as a rideshare driver when all of this happened. Police say the suspect, who is on probation, tried to carjack him. Instead, he killed him, police say, then took another man’s car and sped off. South down 59, a violent chain of events just off the Southwest Freeway Thursday evening.
A fender bender, a deadly shooting and a carjacking that sent one man running for his life. Tonight, 20 year old Alexis Garcia is in a South Texas jail with no bond. Just two years ago, court records show he cut a deal with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office that kept him out of prison and got a gun charge dismissed.
>> Traveling southbound on the freeway, doing 90 miles an hour. >> Law enforcement in the Corpus Christi area were on high alert last night just before 10:00.
Three hours earlier, Houston police say Garcia was at the intersection of Wilcrest and the Southwest Freeway, wreaking havoc, first crashing his Dodge Charger into a Prius, then attempting to carjack the driver of this red Hyundai who resisted, police say, and paid with his life. >> It shows you that, you know, you can be just, you know, minding your own business and things still can happen. That’s why I just say, you know, you just got to just stay prayed up and stay out the way. >> Today, a good Samaritan told ABC 13 how he tried to save the 55 Year-Old father and husband.
As Garcia continued on, according to police, another man at gunpoint and then took off in the stolen gray Audi.
>> Anthony Blinken captain and the Corpus Christi area. Approximately 30 minutes ago. >> Police in Corpus Christi found Garcia in the middle of a field the Audi abandoned not too far away, court records show. In May 2023, he was charged with evading arrest and unlawful possession of a weapon. Two months later, he pled guilty and in return was given four years deferred adjudication.
While the gun charge was dismissed, that was when he was 18. But his criminal history online records show, dates back to when he was just 15. And this mugshot. Now he will be extradited back to Harris County to face a whole host of new charges..
