Phoenix police arrest man caught on video beating victim and taking his bike

A man has been charged on suspicion of second-degree murder after he was found with the victim’s bicycle, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Around 9 a.m., the Phoenix Fire Department responded to a welfare check call at the intersection of 17th and Grand avenues. They found a man dead at the scene, under a brown blanket with “several puncture wounds and lacerations on his body,” according to the document.

Phoenix police then reviewed video footage from local businesses near the area. The suspect, identified as Alexander Martin Reyes, was caught leaning over the victim, who was sleeping on rocks. Reyes was seen “moving objects,” according to court documents.

The victim woke up and began struggling with Reyes. Reyes punched the victim and she fell to the ground, according to court records. Reyes took a brown blanket from the area where the victim was sleeping and covered her with it.

About 10 minutes later, Reyes returned to the scene and took the victim’s yellow bicycle and other personal items, according to the document.

Investigators said they used still images from a video and compared known images of subjects with similar characteristics to identify the suspect as Reyes.

Court records indicated that later that day, around 3 p.m., police stopped Reyes after they saw him pushing the victim’s bicycle at North 15th Avenue and West McDowell Road. Police said they identified Reyes by his driver’s license and a distinctive tattoo on his face. They noticed he had a black eye, a scar under his eye and blood under his nose.

Police detained Reyes and he was transported to the Phoenix Police Department for an interview. The document said he invoked his Miranda rights and requested an attorney. Reyes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

The victim was not identified. The incident is still under investigation.

Reporter Kira Caspers contributed to this article.

Annie Goodykoontz is a reporter for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at [email protected].