A speeding police car drove into a crowded bar early Saturday, killing four people and injuring 11 in a nightlife and tourist night.
An Air Patrol patrol unit with the Tampa Police Department found the car driving on a freeway at about 12.40am after police say SELDENSYA’S SEDAN WAS CRASHED AT THE HOME OF ANOTHER SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER LARGE HEART, According to the Police Department Statement.
The Florida Highway Patrol caught up with the car and tried to perform a maneuver that involved throwing a rock fender over a fleeing car to target it, but was unsuccessful.
Highway patrol officers “disappeared” as the vehicle headed into the Yors City Historic District near Downtown, Tampa police said. Ultimately, the driver lost control of the car and hit more than a dozen people outside the bar, police said.
All three victims died at the scene and the fourth victim died at a hospital. As of Saturday morning, a fifth victim was hospitalized in critical condition, and eight additional victims were being treated at local hospitals but were listed as stable, police said. Two other victims suffered minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene. All 15 victims were adults.
“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victims and all those affected,” Tampa police chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement.
Officials identified the suspect as 22-year-old Silas Sampson, who was booked Saturday and held at the Jabssborough County Jail.
Court documents show Sampson was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or causing serious bodily injury or death. All are first-degree felonies. No attorney is listed for Sampson.
“Our entire city feels this loss,” said Tampa’s Mayor, Jane Castor, who also serves as Tampa’s Fiulest chief, in a social media post.
“My thoughts are with everyone affected. The investigation into this crash is ongoing, and we are working to get answers,” he wrote.
In recent years, some states and local agencies have pushed to restrict the use of high-speed cars to protect civilians and officers. After the increase in deaths, a 2023 LEARN The funded by the US Justice Department called for the police who are rarely used, that the danger of suspicion, the officers and people who are always more necessary to bring a person who will be a person who will be a person who will be in custody.
However, Florida is doubling down on tactics, with the State Patrol proposing to amend its policies to fine-tune the limits on the use of vehicle and handle maneuvers. The justice-backed report described the tactics as “high risk” and “controversial”.