On 11/01/2019 at approximately 2:00 AM, Master Police Officer Mackenzie Smith was patrolling in the 400 block of West 7th Street, Hays, KS, when he observed an adult male face down in the middle of the street. Witnesses reported that the male had been body slammed to ground by a white male wearing a pink flamingo costume. The victim suffered severe head injuries and was transported to the hospital, and later life-watched to Wichita. The victim is expected to survive.
Officers began a canvas of the area to locate the suspect. Master Police Officer Samantha Nielsen and Ellis County Deputy Garrett Brenning located the suspect near the scene and quickly took him in to custody. The suspect was identified as Tyson P. Martinez (21 yoa) of Ellinwood, Ks. Martinez was arrested and was placed in the Ellis County Jail for Aggravated Battery. The Hays Police Department would like to remind everyone that Martinez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.
The Hays Police Department would like to thank the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Hays State Police Department, and the Wichita Police Department for their assistance with this investigation. The Hays Police Department is requesting that anyone with any information or video of the incident contact the Hays Police Department at (785) 625-1011.