50th Street and Columbus is sort of on the outskirts of some unsavory parts of Tampa. I used to work out there in the industrial parks, but I made swift ingress and egress, never put my windows down, and I would never go there after dark.
I’m guessing the driver was either taking surface streets to get to the interstate (there’s a ramp to I4 right at 50th and Columbus) or had gotten off to get gas. This is not an area known for heavy drug activity due to its proximity to the interstate, but there are a lot of vagrants in the area.
Thanks for the geography lesson... I can almost picture it on my mind. It’s scary to think someone from out of town could take an exit... and become a target just because they were unfamiliar with the area.