Man charged in connection with deadly Smokin Thighs hit-and-run crash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man facing charges in connection with a hit-and-run outside of a popular Wedgewood-Houston restaurant last month that led to the death of a beloved business owner was apprehended in Nashville Thursday, one day after sparking a massive search effort in the Chattanooga area.

Matt Carney, 42, reportedly suffered major head trauma when he was hit in the parking lot of his restaurant, Smokin Thighs, on June 19. He died from his injuries at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on July 4, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

On June 29, police said they found the suspect vehicle — a Nissan Frontier pickup truck, which had been spray painted and had a temporary tag — in the parking lot of the LaQuinta Inn on Sidco Drive.

Then, on Thursday, July 11, MNPD asked for the public's help finding 24-year-old Ulises Martinez, an accused auto thief strongly believed to have information about Carney’s death. Authorities also issued an arrest warrant charging him with the June 19 theft of a pickup truck from a Franklin Pike church.

MNPD said detectives from its Specialized Investigations Division who were working to find Martinez spotted him getting into the backseat of a car outside of a Bell Road motel on Wednesday, July 10. When detectives tried to stop the vehicle, the driver reportedly sped off, but an MNPD helicopter watched the car as it pulled onto a dead-end gravel road in the 9700 block of Concord Road in Williamson County. 

The three people inside the vehicle ran into the woods between Concord Road and Brunswick Drive, officials said. With some help from the Brentwood Police Department, the driver and another passenger — identified by authorities as 25-year-old Francisco Martinez-Lopez and 31-year-old Adrian Diaz — were arrested, but Martinez was not

Just after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17, Tennessee Highway Patrol's (THP) Chattanooga division posted on social media platform X, saying troopers were searching for Martinez, who was on foot in the East Ridge/Brainerd area and wanted for eluding law enforcement.

Officials said Martinez ran from THP troopers Wednesday afternoon. However, no additional details have been released about the circumstances surrounding that incident.

Then, just before 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 18, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office announced more than 70 local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel had used various resources to follow up on leads and tips from the public regarding Martinez's whereabouts throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening and into the early morning. However, based on the latest intelligence gained from this investigation, authorities believed Martinez had fled Hamilton County.

At 11:15 a.m., MNPD posted on X that Martinez was taken into custody by Specialized Investigations Division TITANS detectives at the Somatel Motel on Metroplex Drive near Interstate 24 and Harding Place in South Nashville.

Following further investigation by MNPD's Homicide and Traffic units, officials announced just after 4:30 p.m. that Martinez is being charged with criminal homicide and evidence tampering in connection with Carney's death. He

During an interview at police headquarters Thursday afternoon, authorities said Martinez admitted that he and Diaz -- the passenger arrested after last week's vehicle pursuit -- were driving through the Smokin Thighs lot when they stopped to steal tools from Carney’s pickup truck. 

Martinez -- now described as 29 years old rather than 24 -- told law enforcement that Carney came out, confronted them, and tried to stop the Frontier from leaving. However, the restaurant owner reportedly ended up on the truck's hood and was slung off as it turned onto Wedgewood Avenue.

According to officials, Martinez is being held in the Downtown Detention Center without bond, pending a hearing. Meanwhile, Diaz is in custody in Williamson County for evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.