Texas City police arrest 4 in connection to murder of La Marque man, kidnapping of another EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 7 PM with more details provided by the probable cause affidavit used to make the arrests. It also provided clarity to information initially provided by police to note there is a murder victim and a separate kidnapping victim. The shooting death along state Highway 146 in Texas City on Saturday (9/2/2023) turned out to be a kidnapping of a La Marque man and the murder of Juan Alvarez, also of La Marque, Texas City police said. It was roughly 4:40 PM on Saturday when police received reports of people firing shots from a moving vehicle. Initially, reports were that occupants in two cars were shooting at one another, but only one vehicle was involved. As the investigation continued, police found that Juan Alvarez, 40, of La Marque, had been in a vehicle with two other men. At some point, according to a probable cause affidavit, Alvarez and the driver got into an argument. Alvarez reportedly pulled a gun and fired a shot out of a window of the car. The driver, later identified as Aaron Daniel Rodriguez, pulled over on the side of the feeder road in the 1700 block of state Highway 146. According to the arrest record, Rodriguez grabbed the gun and shot Alvarez multiple times. Investigators said Alvarez appeared to have been shot at least nine times. Alvarez was dumped on the side of the road. He was rushed to HCA Houston Healthcare’s Mainland Medical Center, where he died from gunshot injuries. Police said Rodriguez then sped off with the other passenger still in the vehicle. That man told investigators that Rodriquez and two women tied him up and covered his eyes. The man, who i45NOW is withholding his identity because he is a victim of a kidnapping and witness to the murder, said he was held at gunpoint and told not to talk to police. That man said he woke up the following day and was in a motel. Police later said the man went to the motel lobby and asked for help. Investigators said the man was taken to a Hobby Airport area motel. Security video helped police identify three additional suspects involved in the aggravated kidnapping of the man who had been tied up. Aaron Daniel Rodriguez, 31, was arrested on Sunday. He is charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon. He is in the Galveston County Jail on bonds totaling $400,000. Police said social media messages from Rodriguez asked several people for money so he could flee. He also claimed the shooting was “self-defense.” Police kept Rodriguez’s apprehension quiet because detectives were concerned the three other suspects would also try to flee the country. On Thursday, Texas City police, with the help of the US Marshals, the Violent Offender Task Force, and Harris County Constable Precinct 8 deputies, arrested the remaining suspects. Tara Alise Rodriguez, Aaron Rodriguez’s cousin, was found in the Brazoria County Jail on unrelated charges. She now faces a Galveston County charge of aggravated kidnapping and bond set at $250,000. Cassie Lopez was also arrested on the charge of aggravated kidnapping. She is being held on $250,000 bail. Harris County officials took Michael Hernandez into custody and he is booked in the Harris County Jail on the Galveston County charge of aggravated kidnapping. When he is transferred to the Galveston County Jail, his bond will be set at $250,000.

Posted by i45NOW at 2023-09-07 20:34:14 UTC