TAMPA, Fla. – A high-speed chase involving two police agencies ended in tragedy early Saturday morning, when a reckless driver identified as 22-year-old Silas Sampson of Dade City crashed into a crowd in Ybor City, killing four people and injuring 13 others. Sampson is now facing eight felony charges, including four counts of vehicular homicide.
The incident began around 12:40 a.m. when Tampa Police air units spotted two vehicles racing on Hillsborough Avenue. One vehicle separated at I-275, but Sampson’s vehicle continued south and eventually exited into the downtown area.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) attempted an initial traffic stop at Nebraska and Palm, which was unsuccessful. The FHP then attempted a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver) to stop the speeding car, but this also failed to halt the suspect.
FHP Sergeant Steve Gaskins confirmed that troopers disengaged from the pursuit as the car sped into the densely populated Ybor City.
Unabated, Sampson’s car barreled down 7th Avenue and crashed near the bar Bradley’s, plowing through over a dozen people standing outside.
WACTH:
All four deceased were adults over the age of 20.
The full toll of the event includes the four fatalities and 13 injured people, bringing the total number of victims to 17. As of the early afternoon, two victims remained in critical condition, seven were stable, two had been discharged, and two were treated at the scene.
Sampson was arrested and charged with four felony counts of vehicular homicide and four felony counts of aggravated fleeing with serious bodily injury.
Compounding the severity of the incident, court records show that Sampson had been cited for extreme speeding less than two months prior, documented driving 99 mph on Interstate 75.
The FHP issued a statement mourning the loss of life, condemning the “armed fleeing felon,” and reiterating its commitment to aggressively combating reckless drivers who “terrorize our communities.”
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