INDIANAPOLIS — A Houston man was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana after police said he hit three people with his rental car early Saturday morning and kept driving.
One of those victims was Brandon Breedlove, an Air Force veteran. He did not survive.
“We were best friends," said Cameron Pitman, a friend of Breedlove. "We hung out together every weekend, every afternoon, throughout the week. He was somebody that when you got to be friends with him, you kind of got close to him, with his personality.”
Pitman said Breedlove’s last mission in life was to save his friends after a car came barreling toward them.
“They think that he pulled them out of the way and that's what saved them,” said Pitman.
According to court documents, police found debris from a red Ford Mustang at the scene of the hit-and-run crash. Hours later, they got a call from Salvador Banales, 27, who reportedly told officers he was in Indianapolis for a work convention. He said after time at a bar, he found his red Ford Mustang rental car outside damaged.
Investigators suspected Banales to be the driver who caused the deadly hit-and-run, which was caught on nearby surveillance cameras.
“He fled the scene," Pitman said. "He ran them over and kept on driving."
Blood was found on Banales' rental, according to court documents. He was arrested while attempting to board a flight back to Houston.
“They deserve to know who he is now, which is the killer of a veteran," Pitman said. "And he intended to get away with it."
Police said 13 hours after the crash, Banales still smelled of alcohol.
KHOU attempted to speak to Banales' father over the phone but he wouldn't answer any questions. KHOU also attempted to talk to Banales’s lawyers, but they didn't return phone calls.
For now, Banales is being held without bond.