KERRVILLE, Texas — Surrounded by family, Michael Martinez is counting his blessings after being carjacked Tuesday afternoon in Kerrville.
Martinez says he was carjacked after dropping off his girlfriend at work.
“I heard banging on my left side and I assumed that someone maybe hit me, because it was really loud, like an impact. The last thing I saw, I looked to my left, I see someone at gunpoint aiming at me," said Martinez.
Martinez says he was stunned and terrified, and that the moment felt unreal. But he says he kept calm during those frightening 10 seconds.
“He opened the door for me, I managed to grab my wallet, but he wanted the wallet. So once I got taken out of the car, I was on the ground. I fell I tripped on the ground. I just threw my wallet to him, and he took off," said Martinez.
The suspect, later identified as 46-year-old Robbie Ybarra, raced down the road and turning onto Sidney Baker Highway. Police were soon in pursuit. We retrieved video from Acapulco Mexican Restaurant that shows the high-speed chase.
Ybarra ended up smashing into a pickup truck and driving into a ditch where police say he died on impact.
Employees at the McCoy's hardware store said the accident sounded like 18-wheelers colliding. Andrew Samford witnessed the aftermath of the accident.
“There’s no way he survived that. The metal was wrapped around and into him. You could only see an arm and a red shirt, that was it," said Samford.
Martinez says today he is looking at life a little differently. He says if your confronted by a car jacker, don't try to be a hero, nothing is worth your life.
“I wasn’t screaming. I wasn’t shouting. I said ok, I didn’t look at the person. I did not want to look at the person. I did what he or she wanted. I did what he told me to do, and I got out," he said.
Kerrville police say they did find a gun in the vehicle Ybarra was driving. Police did say Ybarra had an extensive criminal history, and was released on parole in December of 2022.