Motorcycle gang tie?
MMA fighter accused of killing a man for disrespecting him: Plexin' Texan stewsin a Galveston jail
After investigating the on-street shooting death of Maxie Troy Flowers for nearly a year, the Galveston Police Department has arrested Ralph Garcia, Jr. — a popular mixed martial arts (MMA) star known in area fighting circles as the “Plexin' Texan."
On Wednesday evening, officers crashed Garcia's regular training session at the Combat Sports Institute on Galveston Island, taking the 23-year-old prize fighter into custody without incident.
“Detectives worked tirelessly to get this,” GPD police chief Henry Porretto told the Galveston Daily News. “It took a long time, and they had to work through a lot of frustrations.”
“He disrespected him, and that appears to be the motive," Porretto says of the verbal exchange between the MMA fighter and the victim.
Flowers, the 28-year-old victim who struggled with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was fatally wounded by a shotgun blast during the early morning hours of Oct. 13, 2011.
Authorities say he was riding his bicycle on the 5400 block of Avenue L when he inadvertently crossed paths with Garcia. While the two did not know each other, they soon were embroiled in a tense verbal exchange during which Garcia was insulted and Flowers was shot.
“[Flowers] disrespected him, and that appears to be the motive," Porretto said.
According to a statement released by the police, authorities were investigating the Plexin' Texan as early as Dec. 2011 when his father Ralph Garcia, Sr. — president of the Salty Dogs Motorcycle Club, part of the notorious Banditos network — was arrested at his home for an outstanding out-of-state warrant.
Galveston officials believe they have uncovered more physical evidence, which they plan to obtain as the investigation continues. Police expect to file additional charges, as the Plexin' Texan remains in jail with a murder charge and a bond set at $500,000.
