The family of a Mexican immigrant killed in a hit-and-run crash has hired attorneys to investigate a potential lawsuit against the suspect ? an Anne Arundel County police officer.
“We?re investigating,” said Rick Schmidt, one of the attorneys representing the family of Antonio Martinez, 28. “The police are being pretty tight-lipped about their side of the story.”
In a statement read by one of her attorneys, Martinez?s widow, Nohoemi, 25, said she cannot accept that her husband is gone.
“This is a very difficult time for me, my daughter, my family and friends,” she said. “On Monday morning, I woke up as usual at 4 a.m. to prepare my husband?s lunch. I said good-bye as normal with a kiss, like we always did, but I never expected him to not return.”
Authorities arrested an Anne Arundel police officer, who was off-duty at the time of the crash, in connection with the fatal crash on Interstate 95 near Aberdeen on Monday. In an unusual move, the Maryland State Police redacted the officer?s name in a report of the crash.
The officer was driving a gray Nissan truck around 6 a.m. when he rear-ended a Ford Explorer with Texas license plates, causing the Explorer to spin out, flip over the guardrail and land on the inside shoulder of southbound I-95, according to police. The officer then fled the scene, police said.
State police tracked down the officer after discovering a license plate that fell off his vehicle during the crash.
Martinez, of Gwynn Oak, was pronounced dead at the scene. Passengers Jaime Martinez Salas, 35, and Jose Enrique Ramos Olvera, 19, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Anne Arundel Police Chief James Teare Sr., in a statement, said he was aware the family was holding a news conference with attorneys.
“We?re sure that was a decision undoubtedly made in the best interest of the family and we will certainly not criticize their actions,” he said. “Our hearts continue to go out to the family and they remain in our constant thoughts.”
Nohoemi Martinez?s said her husband was very active in church.
“He was always happy and joyful,” she said. “I miss Antonio and I love him a lot.”
