A Texas man was arrested after allegedly beating another man to death at a gas station, possibly because he thought the alleged victim had thrown a beer bottle at him.
Lansselo Martinez, 22, was taken into custody on Wednesday, two weeks after Ye Myint Aung, 38, was beaten to death. According to a Facebook post from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Martinez attacked Aung on May 23, hitting him in the head at least 20 times. According to surveillance footage from the gas station’s attached store, Aung staggered outside and collapsed.
Twelve hours later, a friend discovered him unconscious and called 911.
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Aung was taken to the hospital and died on May 25. According to court documents obtained by Houston ABC station KTRK, the Harris County Coroner’s Office notified authorities of a delayed death, which they had ruled a homicide.
After reviewing hours of surveillance footage, Harris County detectives questioned several witnesses about the beating seen on video between Aung and an unidentified man in a black shirt.
Martinez and an unnamed friend were caught on camera approaching the gas station, according to KTRK’s report on the documents. At some point, they both interacted with Aung.
When Martinez and his friend attempted to drive away, a beer bottle that had been on the hood of the car fell off. Martinez, according to police, may have believed the bottle was thrown at him. He began confronting other customers at the gas station before allegedly turning his rage on Aung and beginning his fatal attack.
His friend told police that he placed the bottle there himself.
In an interview with KTRK, Aung’s friend Lakisha Wilks stated that 12 hours later, around 9:30 p.m., she went to the gas station to purchase tacos. When she arrived, she noticed Aung on the ground and realized something was “definitely wrong.”
Others informed her that Aung had been in the location where she found him since 9:30 a.m., so she called 911. However, after 12 hours without assistance, it was too late. On May 25, Aung was pronounced dead due to blunt force trauma.
Wilks told KTRK that “He could have been saved, I truly believed.” He could’ve been saved! I didn’t get there until 9:30 p.m.
Martinez was booked into Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond after being charged with murder. His next court date is set for July 29.
