4 Dead, 11 Injured After Car Crashes Into Busy Ybor City Bar: Tampa Police

TAMPA, FL — Four people were killed and 11 injured, one of them critically, after a reckless driver crashed into a crowded Ybor City bar following an early Saturday morning police chase, authorities said.

The suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, crashed into Bradley’s on 7th at 1510 E. 7th Ave., just before 1 a.m., the Tampa Police Department said in a news release.

“Our hearts are heavy. Many of us have shared laughter, love, and unforgettable memories at Bradley’s on 7th, a place that has long been a gathering spot in Tampa’s Ybor City for the LGBTQ+ community,” the St. Pete Pride organization said in a statement. “St Pete Pride is holding the victims, their loved ones, and everyone affected in our hearts. May they feel the embrace of a community that grieves with them, loves beside them, and will continue to lift them up through compassion and care.”

The TPD air service unit spotted a driver, later identified as Sampson, driving recklessly and speeding on Interstate 275 around 12:40 a.m.

The same car had been seen street racing on Hillsborough Avenue near 22nd Street earlier that night, police said.

When Sampson got off I-275 at Doyle Carlton Drive, the air service unit continued to watch him, and TPD officers and the Florida Highway Patrol found him in the area of Palm Avenue and Nebraska Avenue around 12:45 a.m.

State troopers followed Sampson as he drove and attempted an unsuccessful PIT maneuver to try to stop him as he sped toward Nebraska Avenue, continuing east on 7th Avenue, police said.

Though troopers stopped chasing after him as he approached 7th Avenue, Sampson continued speeding down Ybor City’s major artery, lost control, and crashed into the bar, hitting more than a dozen people outside it, police said.

Three victims died at the scene and the fourth died at the hospital. A fifth person is hospitalized in critical condition. Eight others are being treated at local hospitals and are in stable condition. Two victims had minor injuries and 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,” Chief Lee Bercaw said. “Reckless driving put innocent lives in danger. The Tampa Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol are committed to seeking justice for the victims and their families.”

FHP is the lead agency in the investigation of this deadly crash.

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