Four people have been killed and 11 injured after a speeding car fleeing police slammed into a crowded bar in Tampa, Florida.
An air patrol unit spotted the silver sedan driving recklessly on a motorway around 12.40am on Saturday after it was seen racing in another neighbourhood, the Tampa Police Department said.
The Florida Highway Patrol caught up with the vehicle and tried to perform a PIT manoeuvre, which involves striking the car’s rear to cause it to spin out, but it was unsuccessful.
Highway patrol officers “disengaged” as the vehicle sped toward the historic Ybor City, which is known for its nightlife and tourists.
The driver then lost control and hit more than a dozen people outside the bar, Bradley’s on 7th, police said. The force said the crash was not targeted.
Three people died at the scene and a fourth died at hospital.
Police said, as of Saturday afternoon, two people were in hospital in a critical condition, seven were listed as stable and two had been treated and discharged. Two people who only had minor injuries declined treatment at the scene.
“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. “Reckless driving put innocent lives in danger.”
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Officers identified the suspect as Silas Sampson, 22.
Court documents show he was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding with serious bodily injury or death – all first-degree felonies.
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“Our entire city feels this loss,” mayor Jane Castor said.
In a statement, the owner of Bradley’s on 7th, Bradley Nelson, said the driver hit three people on the pavement before careering into the bar’s patio area.
“This event has been very traumatic for my entire staff, and myself,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of those who were killed, and to all the injured.”
