TX Man Javier Valenzuela Diaz Sought In Friday Odessa Hit-And-Run

ODESSA, Texas (THECOUNT) — Odessa police are searching for Javier Valenzuela Diaz, 53, after he allegedly fled the scene of a crash in which his vehicle struck a motorcycle seriously injuring rider Fred Giles, 65, at a busy Odessa, Texas intersection, according to the Odessa Police Department.

The crash occurred at approximately 8:49 p.m. on Friday, March 14, 2026, at the intersection of Andrews Highway and University Boulevard in Odessa.

According to investigators, Giles was riding a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle northbound on Andrews Highway when a blue Honda Civic, driven southbound by Diaz, attempted to turn east onto University Boulevard. Diaz failed to yield the right of way and the Civic collided with the motorcycle.

Giles was transported to Medical Center Hospital with serious bodily injuries. His current condition has not been updated in official reports.

Diaz, of Odessa, who also has ties to Florida, fled the scene without rendering aid to the injured motorcyclist. A photograph of Diaz released by police dates to 2023. As of this reporting, Diaz has not been located.

Leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury is a felony offense under Texas law. Failure to stop and render aid can result in a third-degree felony charge carrying a sentence of two to ten years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

The intersection of Andrews Highway and University Boulevard sits in the central portion of Odessa near Odessa College, a two-year institution serving approximately 7,000 students. The area is one of the city’s more heavily trafficked commercial corridors, with numerous retail establishments, restaurants, and institutional facilities generating significant vehicle and pedestrian activity throughout the day and evening hours.

Andrews Highway — US Highway 385 — is a primary north-south arterial that runs the full length of Odessa before continuing north through Ector County toward the city of Andrews, the county seat of Andrews County, located approximately 50 miles to the north. University Boulevard runs east-west through the academic corridor of the city, connecting the University of Texas Permian Basin campus to Odessa College approximately two miles to the south.

Odessa is a city of approximately 116,000 residents located in the Permian Basin region of West Texas in Ector County, roughly 20 miles west of Midland. The city is a hub for the regional oil and gas industry and is served by Interstate 20, which bisects the southern portion of the city. Odessa lies approximately 300 miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and 115 miles east of El Paso.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Javier Valenzuela Diaz is asked to contact the Odessa Police Department at 432-333-3641 or Odessa Crime Stoppers at the same number, referencing case No. 26-0002710.

The investigation is ongoing.

Crash scene location — Andrews Highway at University Boulevard, Odessa, Texas: View on Google Maps

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