A speeding car fleeing police slammed into a crowded bar early Saturday, killing four people and injuring 11 in a historic district of Tampa, Florida, known for its nightlife and tourists.
An air patrol unit with the Tampa Police Department spotted the car driving recklessly on a freeway at about 12:40 a.m. after police said the silver sedan had been seen street racing in another neighborhood, according to a police department statement.
The Florida Highway Patrol caught up with the vehicle and tried to perform a maneuver that involves bumping a rear fender of a fleeing vehicle to cause it to spin out, known as a PIT or precision immobilization technique, but it was unsuccessful.
Highway patrol officers “disengaged” as the vehicle sped toward the historic Ybor City 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.
Three victims died at the scene and a 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 experienced minor injuries and declined treatment at the scene. All 15 victims are adults.
“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and all those who were impacted,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement.
Officers identified the suspect as 22-year-old Silas Sampson, who was booked Saturday and is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.
Court documents showed Sampson has been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding with serious bodily injury or death. All are first degree felonies. No attorney was listed for Sampson.
“Our entire city feels this loss,” said Mayor Jane Castor, who also served as Tampa’s first female police chief, in a post on social media.
“My thoughts are with everyone affected. The investigation into this crash is ongoing, and we are working to get answers,” she wrote.
In recent years, some states and local agencies have pushed to restrict the use of high-speed car chases to protect both civilians and officers. Following a rise in fatalities, a 2023 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice called for police chases to be rarely used, noting that the danger to suspects, officers and bystanders often outweighs the immediate need to take someone into custody.
Still, Florida has doubled down on the tactics, with the state’s highway patrol amending its policies to loosen limitations on the use of car chases and PIT maneuvers. The Justice Department-backed report described those tactics as “high-risk” and “controversial.”
___
Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
