By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer
The Dakota County Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against three people on April 25 in association with the hit-and-run homicide of Carlos Noriega, 22, of Prior Lake.
Noriega later died as a result of injuries from the hit and run on April 5.
Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom charged Martina Narvaez, 36, of Owatonna, and Armando Velasquez, 19, of Faribault, both with three counts of vehicular homicide alleging gross negligence, gross negligence under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident.
Armando Velasquez’s brother, Francisco Velasquez, 18, of Faribault, was charged with aiding an offender, a felony.
According to the criminal complaints filed against Narvaez and the Velasquez brothers:
The incident began when two groups were involved in a confrontation during a dance held inside the Event Center, 1998 Highway 13. One group of five men and three women was from the Owatonna/Faribault area; the other group of about 12 people was from the Burnsville area.
Police are “pretty confident there was a gang issue” at the Event Center that night, said Sgt. Dan Carlson of the Burnsville Police Department. “Police are not ready to say what gangs the individuals are associated with at this time,” Carlson added. “It is important to note that the gang members were the people from the Faribault area, not Burnsville.”
Security at the Event Center separated the two groups toward the end of the evening because the two groups were flashing gang signs at each other and became hostile.
The Burnsville group was moved out of the front door and the Owatonna/Faribault group out of the side door. Security allowed Narvaez and a 28-year-old Faribault man to leave the Event Center and get into their vehicles.
As Narvaez left the Event Center she was seen getting into a red Mercury Marquis with distinctive, large chrome wheel rims. Narvaez then drove to the side door of the Event Center, where Velasquez, his brother and two other people were leaving.
The Velasquez brothers allegedly removed their shirts and began throwing beer bottles at the Burnsville group, which also threw beer bottles and produced baseball bats.
The Velasquez brothers and their friends jumped into the car Narvaez was driving and left the parking lot. Narvaez then allegedly made a U-turn, drove back through the parking lot, over a median and accelerated toward Noriega.
Noriega was hit with the front end of the car and thrown into the air. The car then sped out of the parking lot towards Highway 13.
Police found Noriega lying in the parking lot of the Event Center unresponsive and not breathing. Officers performed CPR on Noriega and were able to get his heart going before transporting him to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where he later died.
“We believe Noriega was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was mistakenly thought to be a person involved in the confrontation,” Carlson said. “Witnesses have said Noriega was not part of the confrontation between the two groups and was simply walking to his truck at the time he was struck.”
Nine days after the incident, Burnsville police located the car that hit Noriega hidden in a garage of a Faribault home where a friend of the Velasquez brothers lives.
The distinctive rims had been removed and disposed of. Police were able to later trace those rims to a purchase made by Velasquez and his mother’s boyfriend in Minneapolis.
The front end of the car showed signs of hasty bodywork and sanding.
A witness who was in the car that hit Noriega told police Narvaez was driving when Noriega was hit. The witness also told police she was intoxicated.
The witness told police the vehicle stopped just before getting on the highway and Armando Velasquez took over driving to Faribault.
Later than evening the people in the car that hit Noriega allegedly met and discussed what they would say if they were asked about the incident.
The Velasquez brothers allegedly instructed the others to say they arrived at the Event Center with Narvaez in another friend’s truck and that there were no other vehicles there.
The group also decided to leave three other people out of the story.
Police arrested two of those people earlier this week, but no charges were filed against them.
Police believe the third man who was left out of the story has left the state and gone to Houston.
Witnesses have also told police that everyone in the vehicle that struck Noriega were drinking all night and were heavily intoxicated, Carlson said.
“That’s hard to determine because it’s been weeks since the incident,” Carlson added.
The Event Center does not have a liquor license, Carlson added. The liquor served at the Event Center that night would’ve been catered in, he said.
As both Velasquez brothers are under the age of 21, there is an active investigation into possible zoning and liquor-license violations, as well, Carlson added.
“Any investigation into serving minors’ alcohol is difficult to prove at this time. It’s all going on people’s word,” Carlson said.
Bail was set at $250,000 without conditions and $100,000 with conditions for both Narvaez and Armando Velasquez.
Bail was set at $75,000 without conditions for Francisco Velasquez.
If convicted, Narvaez and Armando Velasquez both face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and $60,000 in fines.
If convicted, Francisco Velasquez faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Narvaez and the Velasquez brothers’ next court appearances are set for May 12 at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings.
Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.