The cellphone video, according to investigators, shows a weight plate cutting across a gym floor toward a woman’s head. What looks like a brief argument between two people has now become a felony case over what qualifies as a “deadly weapon.”
In early January at a 24 Hour Fitness location near Spring, Texas, 24-year-old Aralyn Martinez was arrested after what deputies describe as a confrontation with a woman she believed had been involved with her partner. Martinez now faces an aggravated assault charge, and a judge has suggested alcohol may have played a role, according to publicly reported court records.
The Alleged Confrontation On The Gym Floor
According to a news release cited by Fox News, Martinez was at the 24 Hour Fitness when she recognized another woman as “the complainant as someone her partner was involved with.” The release, from the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Office, states that Martinez then “threw a weighted plate toward the complainant’s head, attempting to cause injury.”
Charging documents, obtained by Houston television station KHOU 11 and summarized in coverage of the case, quote Martinez as allegedly yelling, “B—-, I’m going to drop this 25-pound weight plate on you,” before the weight was thrown.
Cellphone video reviewed by deputies reportedly shows Martinez holding the weight plate, threatening to drop it on the other woman, then throwing it in her direction, according to the Fox News account. The complainant moved out of the way in time, and authorities say she avoided serious physical injury.
Aralyn Martinez, 24, was charged with aggravated assault. https://t.co/G2VgjRSZtF pic.twitter.com/nWTvoTcSYC
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) January 17, 2026
Precinct 4 Capt. Juan Flores told KHOU 11 that incidents involving free weights are rare in their caseload. “Not very often with weights and not very often at a gym,” he said, adding, “We do know a 25-pound weight, or any weight, can be a deadly weapon depending on where you hit the person.”
Flores said people nearby stepped in after the weight was thrown and helped calm the situation before it escalated further. Martinez left the gym shortly afterward, investigators said, but deputies later located and arrested her.
From Heated Argument To Aggravated Assault Charge
Martinez was booked into the Harris County Jail and charged with aggravated assault, according to court information reported by Fox News. Her bond was set at 1,000 dollars.
Under Texas law, aggravated assault generally means a person is accused of committing an assault that either causes serious bodily injury or involves the use or exhibition of a deadly weapon. The relevant statute, Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, defines aggravated assault as an assault in which the person “causes serious bodily injury to another” or “uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during the commission of the assault.” State law allows prosecutors to charge this offense as a second-degree felony in many cases.
In this case, the complainant did not suffer serious injury according to the public reporting. The charge appears to rest on the allegation that Martinez used the 25-pound plate as a deadly weapon during an attempted assault, rather than on any lasting harm to the other woman. Flores’ description of the weight as something that “can be a deadly weapon depending on where you hit the person” aligns with how Texas courts can treat everyday objects if they are used in a way capable of causing serious injury or death.
Authorities have not publicly alleged the use of any firearm or knife. The central claim is that the combination of the verbal threat, the act of throwing the weight, and the potential for serious injury meets the threshold for a felony assault charge.
Evidence Investigators Say They Have
The main pieces of evidence described publicly are the complainant’s statement, the charging documents, and the cellphone video reportedly recorded at the gym.
According to Fox News’ reporting, deputies reviewed video that shows Martinez threatening to drop the weight on the woman and then hurling it toward her head. The complainant’s ability to move out of the way in time, and the lack of serious physical injury, are not in dispute in the available reporting.
Charging papers cited by KHOU 11 describe Martinez’s alleged statement before the throw. If introduced in court and deemed admissible, that statement could be used to support prosecutors’ argument about intent. The wording “I’m going to drop this 25-pound weight plate on you” is likely to feature prominently if the case proceeds toward trial.
The judge who set Martinez’s bond also referenced alcohol in a written order. In an order outlining bond conditions, the judge wrote that “Facts giving rise to probable cause suggest that alcohol was a factor in this offense,” according to a report by Law & Crime. That statement does not specify how investigators reached that conclusion or what evidence they believe points to alcohol use.
At this stage, publicly available accounts do not describe any statements from Martinez herself or from any defense attorney on her behalf. There is also no public indication yet of toxicology results or other objective testing that would confirm whether she had been drinking before the confrontation. The judge’s comment is limited to the standard of probable cause, which is lower than the standard of proof required at trial.
What The Court Has Done So Far
After her arrest, Martinez was taken to the Harris County Jail and appeared before a magistrate for an initial hearing, according to Fox News. The court set her bond at 1,000 dollars and scheduled her arraignment for a Thursday shortly after the incident.
The relatively low bond amount suggests the court did not view Martinez as presenting a high risk of fleeing or as posing an ongoing imminent danger, given the information available at that initial stage. However, the judge’s written order mentioning alcohol as a possible factor indicates that the court saw enough in the probable cause affidavit to impose specific bond conditions.
Law & Crime reports that the order referenced alcohol in explaining why certain conditions were imposed, such as potential restrictions on alcohol use while the case is pending. The full list of those conditions has not been widely published, and the underlying affidavit that led to the judge’s conclusion has not been made public in detail in the coverage so far.
Prosecutors will now decide how to move forward. They can present the case to a grand jury for possible indictment on the aggravated assault charge as filed, seek a different charge, or allow for the possibility of a plea arrangement. Those decisions typically depend on the totality of the evidence, any prior criminal history, and input from the complainant.
Unanswered Questions Around Intent And Risk
Several key facts appear settled in the public record: a confrontation occurred at a gym near Spring, a 25-pound weight plate was thrown, the plate did not strike the complainant, and the complainant did not sustain serious injury. There is also a video that investigators say corroborates much of what is described in charging documents.
Less clear at this point is exactly how a jury might view the question of intent and risk if the case proceeds to trial. Aggravated assault based on the use of a deadly weapon does not require actual injury, but it does require proof that the object was used in a way capable of causing serious bodily injury or death, and that this happened during an assaultive act.
The judge’s mention of alcohol raises another unresolved issue. The bond order suggests that investigators and the court believe alcohol may have contributed to the incident, but the public record does not yet show how strong that evidence is. It is not clear whether any test results or witness statements beyond the initial reports will ultimately support that conclusion.
Martinez remains accused, not convicted. At the time of the latest public reporting, neither she nor any defense attorney had provided a public account of what happened from her perspective. How the court will interpret a momentary act on a gym floor, captured on a cellphone, will depend on evidence that has not yet been fully aired in public.
For now, a confrontation that ended without physical harm is being treated in the criminal system as a case involving a “deadly weapon.” Whether a jury, a judge, or prosecutors ultimately agree with that characterization will determine if the thrown weight remains a brief clash in a fitness center or becomes a felony on Martinez’s record.
