SAN ANTONIO – Police arrested a man Wednesday afternoon who they said intentionally ran a woman over on the city's West Side early Monday morning.
Luis Diaz-Quijas, 22, is facing a murder charge in connection with the death of Christy Cantu, 40.
Cantu was found dead the area of San Joaquin Avenue and Culebra Road around 1 a.m. Monday. Police said they were able to tie Diaz-Quijas to Cantu's death with the help of surveillance video.
According to an affidavit for Diaz-Quijas' arrest, surveillance footage from a nearby car dealership captured the moment Diaz-Quijas struck Cantu. The video shows Cantu attempting to hide behind a street sign at San Joaquin Avenue and Culebra Road as a black SUV driving down Culebra Road turns toward her, drives onto the sidewalk and hits the sign and Cantu.
Police said that the video shows the vehicle continuing down San Joaquin Avenue, dragging Cantu under the car.
The affidavit states that additional surveillance video shows the black SUV making circles in the street in the 3100 block of Culebra Road and driving onto the curb multiple times, as well as the SUV hitting the stabilizing wire connected to the electric pole at Camino Santa Maria and Culebra Road. In the additional video, the affidavit notes sparks are seen falling from power lines overhead.
The hit-and-run was first investigated as a traffic incident, but after officers spoke with a witness, homicide investigators were called in and took over the investigation, police said. The witness told officers that he had seen a man in an older model Nissan SUV following a woman who was walking and it appeared that they were arguing, according to a police report.
Diaz-Quijas' account of events contrasts from what the witness told police.
In an interview with investigators Wednesday, Diaz-Quijas told police he met Cantu at a club on Sunday night and took her to his home where things took a turn, an affidavit for his arrest states.
He said that when he tried to touch Cantu, she pulled a kitchen knife on him and he asked her to leave, according court documents. He told investigators that Cantu left his house but he saw her later at a Valero near his home, where she accused him of trying to kill her, the warrant states.
He claimed that he as he was driving back to his house, he accidentally hit her but didn't realize it until he felt something under his vehicle, got out of his car to see what he had hit and saw Cantu dead in the road, the affidavit states.
In his interview with investigators, Diaz-Quijas told police he tried to pick Cantu up and put her in his car, but he saw another car coming so he left her in the road and washed her blood off of his hands when he got home, the warrant for his arrest notes.
Authorities were able to find Diaz-Quijas through a dealership license placard found at the scene of the hit-and-run, according to the affidavit. An investigator contacted the car dealership to which the placard belonged and inquired about recent sales, court documents detail. The affidavit states an employee provided information about a 2007 Nissan Armada which had been sold to Diaz-Quijas, whose home is less than a mile from the scene.
The affidavit described how police found the SUV parked in the driveway of Diaz-Quijas' home, noting it had visible damage consistent with striking wire and two sign poles.
Police said this is Diaz-Quijas' first criminal charge. He was taken into custody without incident on the city's West Side Wednesday.
Authorities confirmed Thursday Diaz-Quijas is being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, which is a designation typically placed on individuals suspected of living in the country illegally. KSAT has requested more information on Diaz-Quijas' immigration status and has not yet heard back.