TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A high-speed chase involving a Florida Highway Patrol trooper ended in tragedy late Thursday night when a vehicle crashed into a crowded Tampa bar, killing four people and injuring elevenโข others. The driver, identified as Robert Sampson, faces multiple felony charges including vehicular homicide and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
The crash has reignited debate over the safetyโ of high-speed police pursuits, particularly as some jurisdictions loosen restrictions on chase tactics. Florida’s highway patrol recently easedโ limits on car chases and theโข use of PIT maneuvers, despite concerns raised by a 2023 U.S. Department of Justice-funded study that deemed such maneuvers “high-risk” andโค advocated for chases to be reservedโ for the most serious offenses. This incident underscores the potential for devastating consequences when โpursuits escalate, impacting not onlyโ those involved in the chase but also innocent bystanders.
According to court documents, Sampson was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding โคwith serious bodily injury or death,โ all first-degree felonies.โ Authorities have not โyet released details regarding a potential motive or the initial reason for the pursuit.
The crash occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. at theโ American Legion Post 68, a popular local gathering spot. โขTampa Mayor Jane Castor, a former Tampa police chief, expressed the city’s grief, stating on social media, “Our entire โcity feels this loss.”โข The investigation remains ongoing.
Eleven individuals were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from โminor โto critical. The identities โof the four victims killed have not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
The incident comes as a national conversation continues regarding police pursuit policies. A 2023 study fundedโข by the โคU.S. Departmentโ of Justice recommended โขthat chases be “rare,”โค arguing thatโฃ the risks oftenโค outweigh the benefits of immediate apprehension. The study highlighted the dangers of high-speed chases and the potential for harm to both officers, suspects, and the public.
Kate Payne is a โcorps member for The Associated Press/Report for Americaโค Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America isโข a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.