Suspect in Fatal Hit-and-Run Arrested

Published on March 11, 2025

By Arlington Police Department

The Arlington Police Department has made an arrest in connection to the June 2024 hit-and-run that resulted in the death of 30-year-old Daniel Cruces.

Following a thorough investigation, APD Crash Investigators obtained a warrant for the arrest of 25-year-old Joel Sac Tambriz on one count of Collision Involving Death. On March 10, 2025, Victoria Police located Mr. Tambriz in their city and took him into custody.

On June 9, 2024, at approximately 2:01 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of Pioneer Parkway and S. Center Street to investigate an auto-pedestrian collision. When they arrived on scene, they found Mr. Cruces lying unresponsive in the roadway. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Witnesses told investigators that Mr. Cruces was using the crosswalk at the intersection, attempting to cross from the north side of Pioneer Pkwy to the south side, when he was hit by a black Honda Civic traveling eastbound along Pioneer Parkway. The driver of the Civic did not stop and continued driving. Officers found the Civic abandoned not far from the crash site in the 700 block of E. Pioneer Pkwy.

The vehicle was registered to Mr. Tambriz. Investigators also recovered documents and a phone from inside the car that belonged to Mr. Tambriz. Additionally, through the course of their investigation, they learned Mr. Tambriz was pulled over by an APD officer in January 2024 while driving the same vehicle.

Digital evidence placed Mr. Tambriz near the crash site just prior to the collision.

Mr. Tambriz is currently being held at the Victoria County Jail where he awaits extradition back to Tarrant County.