Dallas Man Who Threatened to Shoot Up Daycare Charged with Gun Crime

A father who threatened to shoot up a Dallas daycare has been charged with a gun crime, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Joshua Martinez, 28, was charged via criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the complaint, Mr. Martinez – a felon convicted of robbery in 2010 – called his daughter’s mother on Feb. 6 and allegedly threatened to kill her. In a screenshot of the video call provided to law enforcement, Mr. Martinez could be seen brandishing a Glock handgun affixed to a laser/light apparatus.

The child’s mother told law enforcement Mr. Martinez had also allegedly threatened to shoot up his 4-year-old daughter’s daycare facility.

Following a high-speed chase through northwest Dallas, officers apprehended Mr. Martinez on a neighborhood side street.  They then retraced the route the fleeing vehicle had traveled and found a Glock 22 – a weapon that matched the handgun in the screenshot of Mr. Martinez’s video call – on the roadway.

After waiving his Miranda rights, Mr. Martinez allegedly confessed to possessing the firearm, which had been reported stolen. 

“This defendant allegedly threatened our city’s most precious, our most vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “A formerly convicted felon, he was not legally permitted to possess firearms. We’re thankful law enforcement was able to get this man and his gun off the streets before tragedy could strike.”

"The FBI-led Dallas Violent Gangs Safe Streets Task Force is a great example of how agencies working together can prevent violent crime in our communities," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The task force is focused on finding ways to effectively prevent individuals from committing acts of violence. This includes using federal charges when convicted felons continue to possess weapons even though they are prohibited from doing so."

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The case was brought under Project Guardian, the Justice Department's signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

It is also part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, a program that surges federal and local law enforcement resources to communities’ most violent neighborhoods in order to root out offenders and built positive relationships with victims and witnesses.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Violent Gangs Safe Streets Task Force, the Dallas Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting the case.