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Hugo Natanael Martinez

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 03/06/2022

Location : Interstate 85 North near Jimmy Carter Boulevard

City : Norcross

County : Gwinnett

State : Georgia

Agency : Georgia State Patrol

Officer(s) :Trooper Demarcus Thomas

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Bystander killed during speeding and improper-lane-change pursuit.
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NARRATIVE:
On 03/06/2022, 22-year-old Hugo Natanael Martinez was killed while standing beside his disabled pickup truck on Interstate 85 North in Gwinnett County when a Porsche being pursued by Georgia State Patrol Trooper Demarcus Thomas left the roadway and struck him.
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At approximately 8:00 p.m., Trooper Thomas was conducting traffic enforcement on Interstate 85 when he observed a silver Porsche making improper lane changes and traveling well over 80 mph in a posted 70-mph zone. Thomas attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Smith accelerated away and Thomas pursued him northbound on I-85.
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During the pursuit, Smith drove through traffic at extremely high speed. Thomas later testified that he glanced at his patrol vehicle's speedometer during the pursuit and saw 117 mph. Thomas estimated that Smith's Porsche was traveling over 120 mph. Dash-camera video recorded the high-speed pursuit and was later shown to the jury during Smith's criminal trial.
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Martinez had experienced vehicle trouble and was stopped on the right shoulder of I-85. A tow-truck driver had positioned his truck in front of Martinez's pickup, attached it to the flatbed and was loading it. Martinez was standing beside the towing operation and was entirely uninvolved in the pursuit.
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As the pursuit approached the area south of Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Smith lost control of the Porsche and veered onto the right shoulder toward Martinez and the tow-truck driver. The tow-truck driver saw the Porsche approaching and jumped over a concrete retaining barrier.
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The Porsche struck Martinez and threw him over the retaining wall onto the roadway below. Martinez suffered fatal blunt-force injuries, including a fracture at the base of his skull that tore his brain stem. He died from his injuries.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Georgia State Patrol Trooper Demarcus Thomas initiated and participated in the pursuit. His dash-camera recorded the pursuit, and Thomas later testified at Smith's criminal trial about the attempted traffic stop, pursuit and speeds involved. The sources reviewed do not identify criminal charges against Thomas arising from the pursuit.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/porsche-evades-traffic-stop-on-i-85-kills-22-year-old-man-on-shoulder
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/driver-charged-with-feonly-murder-in-crash-that-killed-22-year-old-man-on-i-85-shoulder
https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/-/news-events/news-releases/news-details/guilty-verdict-upheld-in-case-of-deadly-dui-collision
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2025/s25a1131.html