TAMPA – Tampa police shot and killed a man who they said hit several people with a car before leading officers on a chase.
According to Tampa police, Sunday evening around 8:30 p.m., they began responding to a series of escalating incidents involving a “dangerous suspect.”
The first call came in from a Dollar General store after a man used his white Honda to intentionally block the vehicle of another person.
“His car was blocking a victim’s car from trying to get into the business. They argued back and forth, and eventually, the victim left. This victim noticed that the suspect was following him to his house. Eventually, a disturbance occurred where they were throwing items at each other and then the suspect reversed out, hitting the victim with the car twice. Fortunately, that victim was in stable condition,” according to Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw.
As the man sped off, he intentionally hit and killed another man, according to police.
Around 10 p.m., the man then hit a pedestrian crossing the street. The injured person was taken to the hospital for evaluation. When Tampa police arrived, witnesses pointed out the driver responsible who drove off.
The officers gave chase. They were able to stop him on I-275, but not before several officers were injured.
“The suspect was getting out of the car, reaching for what they (officers) believed was a weapon, and then shots were fired. The suspect did not survive and like I said before, I had 3 officers that were injured in that incident and fortunately they are going to be okay,” said Bercaw.
Bercaw said the man killed by officers was 47 years old and had an extensive violent criminal history. He added that the man had been released from prison approximately two years ago.
“Every day our officers go out, put themselves in danger and tonight was just another example of their heroic efforts in ending this violent rampage of this suspect,” said Bercaw.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the officer-involved shooting.