TAMPA, Fla.- A fatal hit-and-run outside a local after-hours nightclub has officially turned into a homicide manhunt. Tampa police detectives, working alongside federal marshals, are actively hunting for a 32-year-old man accused of intentionally using his car as a weapon to strike and kill a security guard early Sunday morning.
The incident unfolded around 4:30 a.m. on June 7, 2026, inside the Vale after-hours nightclub at 7123 N. Armenia Ave. According to police, Jose Zamora Valdes was being kicked out of the club following an altercation with a woman he knew. While security staff escorted him outside, Zamora Valdes shoved the woman, causing her to stumble into another customer and spark a brief verbal argument.
Shortly after, a security guard—described as a Hispanic man in his mid-30s—began walking toward his car with a friend, a Hispanic man in his early 40s.
Investigators say Zamora Valdes got into his own vehicle, drove northbound on Armenia Avenue, and then made a sharp, deliberate turn directly into the security guard. The guard suffered critical injuries and later died at the hospital. His friend was also struck but sustained only minor injuries.
Zamora Valdes fled the scene immediately after the crash. Police have since located and impounded the vehicle he was driving, but the suspect remains at large.
Homicide detectives have secured an arrest warrant for Zamora Valdes on charges of Murder and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon. The Tampa Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the U.S. Marshals Task Force are leading the search to find him.
“Our hearts go out to the family and colleagues of the security guard who lost his life while simply doing his job to keep others safe,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “Using a vehicle as a weapon and driving into unsuspecting victims is a cowardly act, and it has no place in our community. Our officers, detectives, Fugitive Apprehension Unit, and federal partners, are working tirelessly to ensure this dangerous individual is taken off the streets and will face justice for his actions.”
The suspect, Jose Zamora Valdes, is described as a Hispanic male born on November 21, 1993.
Tampa Police are asking anyone with information regarding Zamora Valdes’ whereabouts to contact them at 813-231-6130 and reference report number 26-336350. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous and potentially qualify for a reward can contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.
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