$50,000 Reward Offered for Killer of Young Taxi Driver

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A $50,000 reward was offered today in hopes of tracking down the killer of a 29-year-old taxi driver shot June 1 in the Westlake area of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives say they have exhausted their leads and need the public's help, particularly in trying to piece together what occurred in a seven-minute span before the victim's silver Toyota Prius collided with another car.

Bulmaro Guerrero Martinez was suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body when he crashed the Prius about 8:40 a.m. at 201 S. Alvarado St. He died at a hospital.

LAPD Rampart Division Detective Ray Martinez told reporters that surveillance footage shows Martinez driving on Alvarado Street and making a turn onto Temple Street about seven minutes before the crash.

"So we have seven minutes where, within a two-block radius, he might have picked up a fare, he might have engaged in some altercation at some point," Martinez said.

Detectives said Martinez might have been trying to drive himself to the hospital.

At that hour, the area is usually filled with cars headed to downtown Los Angeles, so "it's hard to believe that nobody saw anything," Martinez said.

Martinez worked for an unlicensed taxi company, but he may have also worked independently and picked up work on his own, according to LAPD investigators.

Santos Martinez asked the public for help in apprehending his brother's killer.

"He was Christian ... He don't drink ... he's a good person," he said.

Martinez said his brother has two daughters in Mexico, and when they ask about what happened to their father, "my heart (feels) so bad. Please help, help."

The $50,000 reward was approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

City News Service