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A tragic incident in Ybor City has led to a Dade City man facing eight felony charges after a collision resulted in four fatalities early Saturday morning, as reported by the Tampa Police Department.
According to Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, the sequence of events began around 12:40 a.m. when police air units observed two vehicles racing westward on Hillsborough Avenue, heading towards Interstate 275.
Upon reaching the highway, the vehicles split paths, with one continuing south on I-275. The vehicle was then spotted exiting into the downtown area, where Florida Highway Patrol attempted an unsuccessful traffic stop at the intersection of Nebraska and Palm.
Chief Bercaw noted that the Florida Highway Patrol also attempted a PIT maneuver but was unable to halt the speeding vehicle.
During a brief press conference, Sergeant Steve Gaskins explained that troopers had to disengage from the pursuit as the driver continued into Ybor City.
The car sped down 7th Avenue and crashed near the gay bar Bradley’s, plowing through more than a dozen people who were standing outside. Police did not specify what kind of damage the building sustained.
“[It] didn’t slow down, didn’t stop, just hit straight into it,” said Howard Hopkins, who says he was there when it happened. “Tables went flying, chairs went flying. People went flying. It was bad.”
Three of the victims died at the scene, and a fourth person died at the hospital.
“There was no screaming until after because it happened so fast,” said Hopkins.
“It was shocking, but the police got there pretty quick,” said Hopkins. “They got on top of the car. They busted out the window. They dragged the guy out. People were there trying to give CPR and stuff to people.”
As of around 2:30 p.m., two more people were in critical condition, two were discharged from the hospital and seven were in stable condition. TPD said two more people were treated at the scene, bringing the total number of victims up to 17, including the four who died.
Bercaw said all of the victims were adults over 20 years of age.
The suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, was arrested at the scene. He has been charged with four felony counts of vehicular homicide and four felony counts of aggravated fleeing with serious bodily injury.
Court records indicate that Sampson received a citation for speeding in Hillsborough County less than two months ago. The complaint said he was going 99 mph on Interstate 75, where the speed limit is 70 mph.