TAMPA (WFLA) – A Dade City, Florida man is facing eight felony charges after a crash that killed four people in Ybor early Saturday morning, the Tampa Police Department said.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Berkow said it began around 12:40 a.m. when police air units spotted two vehicles racing westbound on Hillsborough Avenue toward Interstate 275.
On the highway, one vehicle broke down, and another went southbound on I-275. The vehicle then left the downtown area, and the Florida Highway Patrol unsuccessfully attempted a traffic stop.
FHP also attempted a PIT maneuver, Bercow said, but was unable to stop the speeding car.
Sergeant Steve Gaskins, speaking briefly about the incident at a news conference, said his trooper became separated from the driver after the car proceeded into Ybor City.
the car slowed down 7th Avenue and Bradley’s Bar, injuring more than a dozen people outside. Police did not say what type of damage was caused to the building.
Three victims died at the scene, and a fourth person died in hospital. As of about 5:30 a.m., a fifth person is in critical condition, and eight others are being treated at local hospitals in stable condition. Two other people with minor injuries refused treatment at the scene.
Bercow said all the victims were adults over the age of 20.
The suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, was arrested at the scene. He has been charged with four felony counts of homicide by vehicle and four felony counts of fleeing with serious bodily injury.
Court records show Sampson had received a citation for speeding in Hillsborough County less than two months earlier. The complaint says he was going 99 mph on Interstate 75, where the speed limit is 70 mph.
