Machete and brick wielding men arrested after violent Hemet attacks

HEMET — Two men, one of whom was reportedly wielding a machete while threatening passers-by and vandalizing vehicles, were arrested after a series of violent incidents that began at a Hemet convenience store Sunday evening, Dec. 9.

Last night’s incident began at AMPM on the corner of S. Sanderson and W. Acacia avenues and ended nearly a mile away from the convenience store in a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Carmel Way and Los Altos Circle.

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After an investigation, officers arrested Michael Anthony Martinez, 25, and Jason Ray Peterson Jr., 18. They were later transported to Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where Martinez was booked into jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm and throwing an object at a vehicle with intent to commit great bodily injury. Peterson was booked on suspicion of being in possession of a dirk or dagger.

Both men were released within hours of their arrests, after Martinez posted $50,000 bail and Peterson posted $10,000 bail. Both alleged suspects are scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court, Jan 23.

Hemet police officers raced to the convenience store around 8 p.m., after receiving reports of a violent disturbance involving a man who was wielding a machete  and threatening patrons of the business.

Although officers arrived within minutes of the dispatched call with lights flashing and sirens blaring, officers soon learned the man had already fled the scene on foot, running eastbound on Acacia Ave. toward Kirby St.

Officers learned from victims and witnesses that one of the alleged suspects, later identified as Martinez, had been armed with a machete and threatening people at the convenience store. Witnesses described that during the initial incident Martinez struck at least one vehicle with the machete, but it was not immediately known what led to the violent altercation.

While investigating officers interviewed victims at the scene and other officers searched the area, Hemet PD’s 911 communication’s center received several additional 911 calls from other victims reporting that two men had just violently attacked several other occupied vehicles, kicking one and throwing a brick through the windshield of another, shattering the vehicle’s windshield.

Descriptions of the two men matched the earlier descriptions provided by the original victims and officers rushed to the area where the men were last seen. Officers soon located the two men inside a residential neighborhood and apprehended both at gunpoint.

The victim whose windshield had been smashed and others who were threatened positively identified the pair involved in the incidents and officers arrested the men without further incident.

One of the multiple victims, Christine Braun, later said she was left shaken by the incident and that her car was left damaged. Braun explained when she first saw Martinez walking down the middle of the street she initially thought he was homeless and just “drunk and crazy,” until she saw he was armed with the machete.

“I was slowing down, but then he stepped in front of my car and raised a machete in the air,” Braun explained. “That’s when I stepped on the gas and tried to get away, but I wasn’t fast enough and he hit car.”

“WTF is wrong with people?” Braun lamented, saying the attack left a “deep dent” in her car and left her thankful to still be alive.

Another area resident, Karen Lilley, also reported nearly being carjacked and victimized by Martinez.

“He tried to stop us by walking in the middle of the road,” explained Lilley, saying her son was in the car with her when the incident happened. “As we stopped he then tried to open the driver’s side door,” causing Lilley to flee the area in a panic.

The “terrifying” incident left Lilley so shaken she later explained, “I couldn’t even figure out how to call the police on my phone, I was so shocked.”

“Thankfully, my son and I are OK and I’m counting every blessing today, because this could of turned out to be a tragedy” Lilley later said. “I’m just grateful I’ll be able to have a Christmas this year and my family doesn’t have to attend our funeral.”

Hemet PD’s investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who was victimized by one or both of the alleged suspects and has not yet provided a statement to officers is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can refer to incident file number 18-11921 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.