A Houston man beat another man to death because he mistakenly believed the man threw a beer bottle at him, police said.
Lansello Martinez, 22, allegedly attacked Ye Myint Aung, 38, at a gas station after a beer bottle that had been placed on the hood of Martinez' car fell off as he drove away from the station, ABC-13 reported.
ABC-13 reported that the bottle had been placed on the hood by the car's passenger, and when it fell off, Martinez mistakenly believed someone had thrown it at the car. Martinez began attacking random gas station patrons who ran away before descending upon Aung.
"The suspect struck the male's head approximately 20 times, causing blunt force trauma," police said. The incident happened on May 23 and Aung was pronounced dead May 25. Police arrested Martinez on June 5.
According to ABC 13, after the beating, Aung's body was left lying behind the gas station for 12 hours. An ambulance wasn't called until Lakisha Wilks saw Aung's body at around 9:30 p.m., with several regular customers standing nearby.
"I said, 'Something is definitely wrong,'" she recalled. "And they said, 'Well, he's been here since 9:30 in the morning.' I said, 'No, no, no. Something's not right.' They said, 'Well, whatever you do, do not call 911.' And I said, 'No. Whatever I do, I'm going to call 911,'" Wilks told the station.
Despite Wilks' efforts, Aung was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"He could have been saved, I truly believed," Wliks told the station. "He could have been saved! I didn't get there until 9:30 at night."
Police said that Martinez was charged with murder and booked into the Harris County Jail.
