The Sunday night “In Custody” death news conference was video taped and can be viewed in it’s entirety here.

The length of the video is about 8 Minutes & 7 Seconds.

Occurred 9/11/11, 4:41PM     Disturbance in Progress Call 3802 Caravelle        1109110113

             Earlier this evening, as Chief of Police Troy Riggs pointed out in a press conference, Officers responded to a scene to restore order in our Community.  Unfortunately, as a result of the situation, a tragedy occurred.  The tragedy is felt by the family of an individual who lost his life as well as the Corpus Christi Police Officers involved in the incident.  The following is an account of that incident. 

             On 9/11/11, at 4:41 PM, Corpus Christi Police Officers responded to a Disturbance call at the Waterford Apartments.  Numerous calls reporting the disturbance came into the Dispatch Center between 4:41 PM and 4:51 PM.

            Two CCPD Officers arrived at the scene at 4:48 PM.  As the Officers were investigating the disturbance, they contacted a 32 year old male.  After contacting this individual, he charged the Officers and a scuffle began.  The suspect was able to break free and ran down the stairs of the apartment, jumped a wooden railing, and fled on foot. 

            Officers chased the suspect and caught him a short distance away, still in the apartment complex.  Upon catching the individual, another struggle began as back-up Officers arrived to assist.  As Officers attempted to arrest the combative suspect, a conductive energy device (“Taser”) was deployed in addition to OC (“Pepper”) Spray.  Both of these tools had little to no effect on the suspect.

            At 5:02 PM, the Officers were finally able to handcuff the suspect.  Shortly thereafter, the suspect collapsed.  Officers immediately called for a Medic unit.  At 5:06, a Medic Unit from the Corpus Christi Fire Department arrived at the scene and subsequently transported the suspect to Doctor’s Regional Hospital where he expired. 

             Two investigations, which have already started, will take place over the coming days.  One of these investigations will be handled by the CCPD Criminal Investigation Division.  Witnesses, Officers, and anyone else involved in this incident will be interviewed, and the evidence will be gathered and examined thoroughly.  When the investigation is complete, it will be delivered to District Attorney Mark Skurka.  After the case is given to the District Attorney’s Office, it will be presented to the Nueces County Grand Jury.  The Grand Jury will review the case in its entirety and determine whether charges will be filed.

            The second investigation will be an Administrative investigation handled by the Internal Affairs Division.  This investigation will focus on three things; Policies, Procedures, and Training in the Corpus Christi Police Department.  The investigation will determine if those three items were followed appropriately during the incident.

            Also included in this second Administrative investigation, is the required documentation which will be submitted to the Texas Attorney General’s Office.  This is mandatory in all “In Custody Deaths” occurring in Texas, as documented in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures Article 49.18.  This documentation must be delivered to the Attorney General within 30 days. 

             As is standard in this type of incident, the four Officers who were involved have been placed on Administrative Leave.  The CCPD PIO Office will update the Community when additional information becomes available.

Occurred 9/9, 11:21 p.m.   Theft    4833 S. Padre Island Drive   1109090082 

Officers responded to a theft scam at the Wal-Mart customer service desk involving an 85-year-old victim.  Customer service representative reported an elderly victim sent $2,500 via a Money Gram to Monterrey,Mexico.

The victim told Officers she received a phone call from a person claiming to be her “long lost” nephew from Mexico.  He went on to ask for $2,500.00 to keep from being imprisoned over a traffic accident.

The elderly victim agreed to send the money via Money Gram.  The transaction was similar to a fraud which occurred earlier in the week and the customer service representative was able to reverse the transaction.  The money was returned to the victim.

As of today, the Corpus Christi Police Department has received several reports of unscrupulous individuals taking or attempting to take advantage of Senior Citizens in our community.  Please talk to your family, friends, and neighbors and warn them of this theft scam.

We’ve included several tips for seniors and their caregivers:

• NEVER give personal or financial information over the telephone
• Do Not offer any family names to callers unknown to you.  They will assume the identity of these family members.
• Remove yourself from telephone calling and mailing lists.
• Remember, if the caller asks to keep the call a secret, he doesn’t want outsiders to know about the fraud.
• Check with other family members before sending money or any other assistance.

Please contact Crime Prevention Advisors Imelda Benavides and Brenda Rodriguez at 361-886-2765 to schedule a personal safety presentation.

Occurred 9/9, 12:42 a.m.   U.U.M.V. (Stolen Vehicle)   2730 S.P.I.D.   1109090009

A passerby reported two suspicious males looking into several cars in the parking lot at 2730 S. Padre Island Drive.  Officers detained two 16-year-olds for violating nighttime curfew.  Further investigation revealed the two males had been attempting to steal a silver Honda passenger car along with a silver Volvo.  Both were transported and booked at the Nueces County Juvenile.  They were each charged with two counts of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle.

Occurred 9/8, 3:57 p.m.   Robbery   4102 Ayers   1109080100  

Officers arrived to find the CVS Pharmacy store manager and their loss prevention officer holding down a Hispanic male in the front of the store.  The store manager reported to Officers their loss prevention officer observed Phillip Ace Martinez (09/07/82) hiding twenty-one bottles of shampoo in his pants and walk out the store without paying for them.  Both men attempted to stop Martinez who struggled with them in an attempt to escape. Martinez bit the store manager’s hands and began to choke him with his own tie when he was unable to break away. Martinez was arrested and booked at the CDC.  He was charged with Robbery.  The store manager sustained minor injuries in the assault.  The stolen property valued at $132.00 was returned to CVS Pharmacy.

A local 18 year old graffiti vandal was served with an arrest warrant at his home by a Corpus Christi Police Officers September 7, 2011.  Nathan Andrew Valdez (02/05/93) was accused of participating with another member of a tagging crew in etching graffiti on plate glass windows at theRichard Milburne Academy located at 5333 Everhart Road on August 29, 2011.

TheRichard Milburne Academy is a charter public school, which made the graffiti a state jail felony.  The Graffiti Task Force obtained a felony arrest warrant on Valdez which was served at his residence. Valdez was arrested and booked at the CDC.  His bond was set at $25,000.

If convicted of the offense,Valdez could face up to 2 years in a state jail facility and/or a $10,000 fine.

Reported 9/7, 11:13 a.m.   Criminal Mischief   3101 McArdle   1109070047

Officers contacted the Maranatha Church Pastor who reported that four church buildings and the church bus were spray painted with graffiti within the last month.   The vandals used red, green, and black paint to cause approximately $1,650. in damages.  Anyone having any information regarding this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or the Corpus Christi Police Department Graffiti Task Force.

Occurred 9/7, 12:45 a.m.  Aggravated Robbery    4301 Ayers   1109070004

Officers contacted a sixteen-year-old Hispanic male at the Stripes Convenience Store, 4502 Ayers who reported he was robbed by Black male while waiting at the bus station.  The juvenile male told Officers the suspect threatened to shoot him if he did not give him his phone.  The victim turned over his phone and the suspect fled on foot.  

The suspect was described as a thin Black male, 20 to 25 years of age, with short hair.  He was last seen wearing a black shirt with shiny graffiti, red shorts, and black shoes.  Shortly thereafter, Officers located a Black male fitting the description at Kostoryz and McArdle. 

Daniel Lamont Simmons (06/11/85) was found wearing a black shirt with the picture of President Obama in shiny colors depicted on it, red shorts, and black shoes when contacted. 

During the investigation, Officers were able to confirm Simmons was in possession of the victim’s phone when the Officer dialed the victim’s phone number and the phone in Simmons’s possession began to ring. Simmons’ was positively identified by the victim and arrested.  He was transported and booked at the CDC.  Simmons was charged with Aggravated Robbery. 

Officers attempted to contact the victim’s parents, but were unable to do so.  He was cited for Violation of Night Time Curfew and released at theTRIPCenter.  The victim’s $50.00 Cricket phone was returned to him.  A weapon was not located on the suspect.

Corpus Christi Homicide/Robbery Bureau Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a suspect involved in the robbery of the Valero Store at 5646 Kostoryz on August 26, 2011.

Shortly before 9:00 am, Officers contacted the distraught 50-year-old store manager who reported a Black male rushed behind the counter and ordered her to open the register.  The male grabbed the cash from the open register and fled northbound on Holly Road taking with him an undetermined amount of money.  The store manager was uninjured during the robbery.

The suspect is described as a Black male, 20 years of age, 5’8” to 6’1” feet tall and weighing 160 to 220 lbs.  He was last seen wearing a black do-rag, a white t-shirt, and shorts.

Please see attached photographs.  Anyone having any information regarding this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or the Corpus Christi Police Department Homicide/Robbery Bureau.