The name Calita Martinez, later just Calita, first appeared in connection with a shooting incident in Little Havana. Calita Martinez is believed to have acted in self-defense as four members of The Eights cornered her in a Little Havana bar. All four received medical treatment, and shortly afterward The Eights ceased to exist as a functioning Miami gang. From then on, Calita's name shows up frequently in connection with various robberies, aggravated assaults, and trafficking of stolen goods as well as a series of motor vehicle-related thefts involving rare European cars.