Off-Duty Firefighter Charged In Fatality After A Weekend Fight At Central El Paso Bar

An off-duty El Paso firefighter and another man turned themselves in to police in connection with the death of a man at a bar in central El Paso.

37-year-old Raul Ruiz Jr., and 42-year-old Adrian Chavez are facing manslaughter charges for allegedly beating 49-year-old Arturo Martinez outside the El Patron Sports Bar on Paisano on January 22. Ruiz is a 10 year veteran of the EPFD. He has been “reassigned from the emergency operations division pending an investigation".

El Paso Police say Martinez was with his girlfriend at the bar when three men surrounded Martinez. When he stood up, he was allegedly pushed by the men. Martinez and the men began arguing and the grabbed him and pushed him. He hit a backdoor that opened. Martinez fell onto the pavement and hit the back of his head. He was unconscious, and Chavez allegedly continued to assault him.

There is no information on what led to the argument in the first place. Martinez died six days later.

Ruiz’s lawyer, Justin Underwood, says Martinez started a fight with his client and that Ruiz acted in self-defense. Ruiz bonded out of jail on a $75,000 bond. It is not known if Chavez bonded out.