Man Indicted for Rolling Stolen Pickup and Leaving Victims Behind

SAN ANGELO, TX – A man who stole a truck and then rolled it onto a front lawn has been indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury.

On Dec. 8, the San Angelo Police Department responded to a major motor vehicle accident that occurred on the 200 block of Paint Rock Road. When Police arrived they found one woman inside the truck and a man and woman who had been ejected. All three of these individuals had serious injuries and had to be taken to Shannon Medical Center.

The driver of the vehicle was not at the scene when police arrived. The 2017 silver Dodge Ram was reported as stolen four days prior to the crash.

Officers met with the victims at Shannon on Dec. 10 and learned that the driver of the vehicle was twenty-eight-year-old Cody Salazar. Police say that prior to the crash Salazar had reportedly gotten into a verbal altercation with a party in another vehicle at the Stripes Convenience Store just a block down the road. After the altercation he tried to speed off into the street where he lost control and rammed his 2017 Silver Dodge Ram into the gas pumps. 

Salazar turned down Paint Rock Rd. when he had lost control the second time and smashed into a tree. He then, instead of helping his friends who were riding along with him, decided to run from the scene. Police searched for Salazar, but he wasn't arrested until four days after the accident.

On April 4, Salazar was indicted on one count of accident involving serious bodily injury which is a third degree felony. Due to his criminal history of engaging in organized criminal activity, the charge was enhanced to a second degree felony. Salazar was also indicted for possession of methamphetamine.

His initial pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 4.