Friends speak out for beloved Los Angeles taco street vendor recovering from violent carjacking

Friends and community members are spreading support for the recovery of beloved taco street vendor Jose Ayala Martinez, also known as “El Tigre.”

“He named himself that a long time ago because he’s always strong,” said his good friend William Wolf. “He’s a very big fighter, and he’s fighting right now as we speak.”

Martinez is recovering at Los Angeles General Medical Center after he almost lost his life during a Tuesday night carjacking in Los Angeles. 

Reports say he was shot three times during the attack — once in the mouth, neck and shoulder, all before he drove himself a mile away to safety and called for help.

Martinez is currently unable to speak because a bullet was fired through his jaw by the gunman.

“You try to make sense of all this because I can’t, I can’t at all,” expressed Wolf. 

The 69-year-old taco and Mexican snack vendor was a fixture at the corner of York Boulevard and North Avenue 56 in Highland Park for several years.

While he was behind the wheel Tuesday after packing up for the night, criminals pounced on him in an apparent attempt to steal his pickup truck.

Initially hospitalized in critical condition, friends say Martinez is now listed in stable condition on Friday night.

“It’s going to take months to repair or to heal actually,” said Wolf. “Today he was wide awake, writing on a tablet. He’s getting stronger.”

KTLA’s Chris Wolfe spoke with Martinez’s close friends to learn about the beloved street vendor. Martinez has a daughter in Mexico and was living in Southern California alone, carving out a living.

Fruit and juice vendor Reyna Bernal said she misses her neighbor. 

“It’s certainly very upsetting to know what happened to him because that could’ve happened to someone else or it could’ve happened to me,” said Bernal. “I believe God has given him a second chance because, after three shots, he’s still fighting for his life.”

A family friend set up a GoFundMe to help “El Tigre” with medical expenses.

“Tigre was part of a senseless act of crime,” wrote the fundraiser’s organizer, Mia Barron. 

She said Martinez is well-loved in Highland Park.

“You can stop by his stand on York in front of El Super at any time and he is so full of joy and he is always so happy, along with his great welcoming smile,” wrote Barron.

The violent attack is still under investigation.

Officers in the area at the time of the shooting heard gunfire and quickly captured a suspect identified as a 19-year-old documented gang member, but an accomplice is still on the run.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the LAPD.