In a courtroom appearance on Thursday, an undocumented immigrant accused of a fatal incident during a police chase in Orange County seemed visibly distressed, attempting to conceal his face from view.
Darwin Felipe Bahamon Martinez, a 21-year-old from Colombia, reportedly released by the Biden administration, is facing charges related to the death of a 59-year-old man and the injury of an 83-year-old woman on January 21 during a law enforcement pursuit.
As Martinez was escorted into a secured area of the Orange County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing, he displayed an expression of apprehension, with a sheriff’s deputy locking the enclosure behind him.
Seeking to remain unseen by the legal teams, presiding judge, and courtroom spectators, Martinez positioned himself behind the bars, at one point obscuring his face with a brown envelope during the brief three-minute session.
Despite his apparent anxiety, Martinez responded to Judge Fernando Valle’s inquiries about his future court appearances.
When asked by Judge Valle if he understood the allegations against him, Martinez affirmed with a simple, “Yes.”
Prosecutors said patrol cops in Placentia saw Martinez drive his dark-colored Jeep Gladiator recklessly and nearly ram a parked car, prompting them to attempt a traffic stop.
Instead, Martinez allegedly took off. After a three-minute chase, he plowed into at least two additional cars — killing beloved father Jose Antonio Ramos Hernandez and injuring the 83-year-old woman, according to police.
Martinez is currently being held on $2 million bail after pleading not guilty to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, evading a police officer causing death and reckless driving.
He is next due in court on July 7.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Martinez illegally entered the country near Chula Vista in August 2023.
ICE officials say Martinez was nabbed by authorities after illegally crossing the California-Mexico border, but was allowed back on the streets during Biden’s presidency.
“He was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s so-called ‘catch-and-release’ policies, but if that hadn’t happened, the innocent 59-year-old driver he allegedly killed may still be alive today,” ICE officials said in a statement.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him on Jan. 22, though California’s sanctuary state laws do not compel local authorities to transfer illegal migrants charged with crimes into federal custody.
“If local officials in Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary California choose to release Bahamon Martinez into the community, they will put ALL Californians at risk,” ICE officials said.
“California must honor our immigration detainer. Otherwise, ICE will be forced to re-arrest this criminal illegal alien at-large.”
