A Roma man now faces two felony charges. Starr County deputies say a fistfight turned into a group gun beating in Rio Grande City.
Julian Vela is 41 years old. He is charged with engaging in organized criminal activity with a deadly weapon. That is the most serious kind of felony. It can mean 5 to 99 years, or even life, in prison. He also faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. That is a serious felony charge. It can mean 2 to 20 years in prison.
The beating happened at night. It was Sunday, June 29, 2025. The facts come from a sworn complaint. Starr County Sheriff's Office Investigator Roberto Fernandez wrote it. The arrest warrant for Vela was issued in October 2025. That was months after the attack.
This case is not just about Vela. The complaint names two other men too. Deputies say Juan Jose Salinas took part. He goes by "Headers." His son, Juan Jose Salinas Jr., took part too. He goes by "Gordo." Neither man is charged on this specific document. But both are named in the sworn complaint.
Deputies say it started with a phone call. The victim is a 47 year old man. He told deputies that Vela called him that night. Vela dared him to fight. The victim said Vela sounded drunk. His speech was slurred. The victim told him to sleep it off. He said fight another day instead.
Vela did not let it go. The victim said Vela handed the phone to "Headers" and "Gordo." The two men set up a meeting spot. They worked through a friend of the victim. The plan was simple. Vela and the victim would meet and fight it out in Rio Grande City.
The victim showed up that night. He did not just find Vela there. Several other men came too, including "Headers" and "Gordo." A fight broke out between Vela and the victim. That is when things turned bad.
While the two men fought, "Headers" and "Gordo" pulled out guns, deputies say. The guns were black handguns. The two men hit the victim in the head with them. The blows cut open the back of his head. The victim fell to the ground. Deputies say several people kept punching and kicking him while he was down.
The victim's friend backed up the story. He told a deputy the same version of events. He did this on his own, separate from the victim. The sworn complaint says Vela used or showed a gun during the attack. It was a black semi automatic handgun. The complaint also says Vela, "Headers," and "Gordo" worked together as a group.
The organized criminal activity charge is already the lead felony on the October 2025 warrant. Texas law uses that charge when a group of people work together to hurt someone. It is why this case carries such a heavy possible sentence, up to life in prison.
Cases like this show why deputies take group fights seriously. A one on one fight is bad enough. Add guns and extra people, and the danger goes up fast. The victim in this case did not just get hit. He got pistol whipped on the ground while more than one person kept swinging.
For now, Julian Vela faces the two felony charges from the October 2025 warrant. El Tejano has not confirmed his custody status. No court date has been confirmed either. This story will be updated as more facts come from Starr County court records.
