Overview
- Police say Tampa’s Air Service tracked a car previously seen street racing on Hillsborough Avenue before it exited I-275 near downtown around 12:40–12:45 a.m.
- Florida Highway Patrol engaged near Palm and Nebraska avenues, attempted an unsuccessful PIT maneuver, then disengaged as the vehicle moved toward Ybor City.
- The car crashed into the patio at Bradley’s on 7th, killing three people at the scene and a fourth at a hospital, and injuring 11 others, including one in critical condition.
- Authorities identified the driver as 22-year-old Silas Sampson, who was detained at the scene and booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on counts including four vehicular homicides and aggravated fleeing or eluding.
- Investigators are conducting toxicology tests, reconstructing the crash, and reviewing pursuit decisions, and police said there is no indication the bar was intentionally targeted.