A speeding car fleeing police slammed into a crowded bar early Saturday, killing four people and injuring 11 in Tampa’s historic Ybor City district, known for its nightlife and tourism.
According to The Associated Press, an air patrol unit spotted a silver sedan driving recklessly on a freeway around 12:40 a.m. after it was seen street racing in another neighborhood, the Tampa Police Department said.
The Florida Highway Patrol attempted a PIT maneuver — a tactic that involves bumping the rear of a car to cause a spinout — but it failed. Officers then “disengaged” as the vehicle sped toward Ybor City, police said.
Moments later, the driver lost control and plowed into a crowd outside Bradley’s on 7th, striking more than a dozen people.
Three victims died at the scene, and a fourth died later at a hospital. As of Saturday afternoon, two people were in critical condition, seven were stable, and two had been treated and released, police said. Two others had minor injuries and declined treatment.
“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and all those who were impacted,” Police Chief Lee Bercaw said.
Authorities identified the driver as 22-year-old Silas Sampson, who was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail.
Court documents show Sampson faces four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding with serious bodily injury or death, all first-degree felonies. No attorney was listed for him.
“Our entire city feels this loss,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on social media. “The investigation is ongoing.”
The crash comes amid a broader debate over high-speed police pursuits. A 2023 Justice Department-funded study called for stricter limits on chases, saying the risks often outweigh the benefits. Despite that, Florida’s highway patrol has loosened restrictions on car chases and PIT maneuvers, tactics described in the report as “high-risk” and “controversial.”
