Arrest made in Hempstead shootings that sparked manhunt

The hunt for a suspect who accused of shooting two people during a possible drug deal in Hempstead ended overnight when the man surrendered to police, authorities said.

Israel Paul Martinez, 27, is accused of shooting two men during an apparent roadside cocaine deal about 8:15 p.m. Thursday near the junction of FM 1488 and U.S. 290.

One of the victims was shot three times in the chest and shoulder. He was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center and was in stable condition, while the other man was treated and released.

Martinez fled after the shooting, but Waller County deputies spotted him driving a Ford Escape that had been reported stolen moments before from a man and pregnant woman who said they had been carjacked at gunpoint. A Waller County deputy followed Martinez, who crashed into a fence, jumped out of the SUV and ran into a heavily wooded area near Hempstead. An extensive search came up empty.

Police said they later learned that the carjacking was bogus and that Martinez, the couple and the men who had been shot were involved in a drug deal.

The couple who reported the carjacking — Veronica Carrizalles, 22, and Adaleerto Flores, 24, - are jailed in Waller County and charged with false reporting, a Class B Misdemeanor, authorities said.

Both are believed to be Martinez's friends.