Lubbock Police arrest gang member for two assaults, armed robbery

Matthew Benites, 27, is accused of two aggravated assaults and an aggravated robbery that occurred minutes apart on Dec. 14. Obtained from the Lubbock County Court Records website.

By Sabrina Hoover

Law enforcement officials have made an arrest in connection to two assaults which turned into an armed robbery on Dec. 14, according to a Lubbock Police Department news release. In cases stemming from separate incidents on the same day, LPD officers and United States Marshals arrested 27-year-old Matthew Benites for two aggravated assaults and an aggravated robbery.

Benites allegedly assaulted an employee outside a Walmart located at 1911 Marsha Sharp Freeway before threatening to shoot the employee, Allison Matherly – Lubbock police public information officer – said during a news conference. The Walmart employee overheard Benites threatening his girlfriend with violence before an altercation ensued.

During the confrontation, Benites allegedly threatened the employee before brandishing a firearm, according to police records. Benites punched the employee in the face before fleeing the scene on foot northbound across the Marsha Sharp Freeway.

At about 9:25 p.m., police arrived at the Walmart in response to the assault. Minutes later, LPD received another call in the 300 block of Sherman Avenue regarding a shooting.

Timothy Lee, 34, was taking his trash out in an alleyway when Benites approached him and demanded the belongings in his pockets, Matherly said. Lee said Benites held the gun to his head before shooting him in his abdomen.

After the first shot, Lee said he attempted to flee from his attacker. Benites fired twice more as Lee ran away.

“(The police) were there within three to four minutes, I’m guessing, and they were asking me questions about who did it,” Lee said. “I was in a lot of pain. I looked up underneath my shirt and I (saw the gunshot wound).”

Lee was transported to University Medical Center with serious injuries, he said. After waking up in the hospital’s intensive care unit, Lee identified Benites in a line-up of photos from the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Active Jail Roster.

This bar graph represents the activity of gangs statewide. Image obtained from Texas DPS.

“I couldn’t identify him right off the muscle, because I was still under a lot of pain meds,” he said. “I remembered his hair and when I (saw) his face on the active jail roster, I remembered his face very specifically.”

Benites’ crimes were random in nature and it is unknown at this time if he has a history of mental illness, Matherly said. Benites’ prior criminal record includes charges of domestic violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, assaulting a public servant, resisting arrest and aggravated assault with deadly weapon, according to police records.

Texas Gang Threat Assessment report entry on Tango Blast and its associated cliques. Image obtained from Texas DPS.

Additionally, law enforcement officials connected Benites to gang activity involving the West Texas Tangos, a branch of the Tango Blast gang, Matherly said. Tango Blast is one of 14 major gang syndicates that actively operate in Lubbock, according to a Nov. 2018 Texas Gang Threat Assessment report released by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Benites is currently booked and awaiting trial in the Lubbock County Detention Center, she said. The case is still active and no date has been set for his trial.

“He has two or three warrants listed on him,” Matherly said. “He has an aggravated robbery and aggravated assault and a second aggravated assault.”