A 34-year-old man was arrested Friday after he reportedly stole a BMW while intoxicated and was involved in a collision with a motorcyclist.
Benjamin Ramos was charged with intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony, unauthorized use of a vehicle, state jail felony, failure to identify giving false or fictitious information, a class B misdemeanor, possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor and driving while license invalid, a class B misdemeanor.
The reported collision happened at 10:30 p.m. Friday near the intersection of 42nd Street and Tanglewood Lane, the Odessa Police Department affidavit stated.
Ramos was reportedly driving a blue BMW 328i, while 36-year-old Mckay Valdez was operating a yellow Suzuki motorcycle, the affidavit detailed. Valdez was transported to Medical Center Hospital and an MCH official said over the phone on Monday afternoon that he’s no longer a patient at the hospital.
Ramos reportedly identified himself to officers as Arthur Dominguez, but officers could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from him with very slurred speech. A witness at Wingstop stated a male was highly intoxicated and left the scene in a blue car. The witness also stated they noticed the crash and stopped to tell officers that Ramos was the same male that was at Wingstop.
Ramos was transported to MCH due to the injuries he sustained in the collision, the affidavit stated. He refused consent of blood and while attempting to get his name for a search warrant he spelled Auther Domingues.
Officers located a red and green swisher sweet packet that contained a brown cigarette that had a green leafy substance known to officers as marijuana, the affidavit stated.
Medical staff located a Texas identification card with the name Benjamin Ramos while getting him into a gown, the affidavit stated.
Ramos reportedly had a suspended license for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The license was suspended from Nov. 8, 2017, to Nov. 7, 2019, in El Paso County.
The BMW that Ramos was driving was reported stolen by 27-year-old Richard Carrasco, the affidavit detailed. Carrasco stated he and Ramos has gotten something to eat and after they got back to his residence Ramos left the residence. Carrasco stated he woke up and went outside to smoke and that’s when he saw that his BMW was missing. Carrasco said he didn’t give Ramos permission to drive the car.
Ramos was arrested, charged and transported to Ector County Law Enforcement Center on Sunday, jail records show. He has three bonds totaling $34,000 and was still in custody as of Monday afternoon.
