Ex-Rays first-rounder Martin arrested

UPDATE: Martin pleaded not-guilty to three counts of murder on Sept. 22 after a third victim, Ricky Anderson, died on life support. Police said Martin used a bat in his attack on the three men. According to ABC7 Los Angeles, Martin's murder charges make him eligible for the death penalty. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office said they would consider Martin's mental state in the trial after Martin's attorneys requested a psychological evaluation.

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Former Tampa Bay Rays first-round Draft pick Brandon Martin was arrested Friday in connection with the murder of his father and another man, according to police.

Martin, a 22-year-old shortstop who was one of the Rays' first-round Draft picks in 2011, was arrested in Corona, California, on Friday as the suspect in the shooting deaths of two men a night earlier. He was apprehended after breaking into a home following a brief police chase in one of the victim's vehicles.

Corona police said Martin, who was caught when he was bitten by a police K-9, is expected to be charged with the killings once he is released from a nearby hospital.

Martin, who has not played in the Minors since 2013 due to personal reasons and was released in March, was detained by police Tuesday for a mental health evaluation, according to The Press Enterprise. Police then responded to a home on Winthrop Drive in Corona on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. after getting a report of a male not breathing. Officers found Michael Martin, Brandon's father, and Barry Swanson, dead.

A third victim, Ricky Anderson -- Brandon's uncle -- was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains on life support.

Martin was then spotted Friday by an off-duty Corona officer who was driving to work. The officer said he saw Martin driving a white Ford F150 pickup truck that belonged to one of the victims. Police then tried to pull over Martin's vehicle near Mountain and Lincoln Avenues, but Martin allegedly refused to stop and led cops on a chase near Foothill Elementary School on S. Buena Vista Avenue. According to PE.com, Martin managed to evade two precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuvers, in which police tried to ram his vehicle.

Police said the former shortstop eventually left his truck and broke into a nearby home in the 800 block of Derby Street. NBC 4 Los Angeles reported Martin escaped police inside the home and jumped out of a second-floor window. He was taken down in the backyard by a K-9 and later transported on a stretcher to a hospital. Police said a woman was in the home taking a shower during the break-in but was not harmed.

Foothill Elementary School, Citrus Hills Intermediate School and Eisenhower Elementary School were all placed on lockdowns during the police chase and investigation.

Corona police announced at 1:18 p.m. ET that Martin "was taken into custody! Officers will remain in the area to search for evidence. There are no outstanding suspects at this time." Police had earlier posted alerts urging the public to stay inside.

"CPD actively searching for a suspect in area of Buena Vista and Highgrove St.," the department wrote. "Stay inside, lock doors and report suspicious activity." 

Police said Michael Martin, 64, and Swanson, 62, were at a residence in the 1000 block of Winthrop Drive on Thursday. They indicated that Swanson was a sub-contractor for ADT security. Both were found deceased at the home.

Martin was a Rays supplemental first-round pick in 2011, selected No. 38 overall, and signed for $860,000. The Anaheim native was rated as the No. 3 defensive high school shortstop by Baseball America prior to the 2011 Draft and had committed to Oregon State University before signing with the Rays. Baseball America had ranked him as the Rays' No. 17 prospect in 2012, but the right-handed infielder struggled the following year, when he hit .206 with seven homers, 39 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 73 games for Class A Bowling Green in the Midwest League.

Martin made his Minor League debut in 2011 with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Rays, where he hit .255 with a homer and three RBIs in 19 games, before batting .209 with 10 long balls and 32 RBIs in 63 contests with Rookie-level Princeton in 2012. He last appeared in a game on Sept. 2, 2013.