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Posted on 11/08/2025 4:08:38 PM PST by 11th_VA
TAMPA (WFLA) — A Dade City man is facing eight felony charges after four people were killed in a crash in Ybor City early Saturday morning, the Tampa Police Department said.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said that it started at around 12:40 a.m. when police air units saw two vehicles racing westbound on Hillsborough Avenue heading toward Interstate 275.
At the highway, one vehicle broke off, and the other headed south on I-275. That vehicle then exited at the downtown area, and the Florida Highway Patrol attempted an unsuccessful traffic stop at Nebraska and Palm.
FHP also attempted a PIT maneuver, Bercaw said, but was unable to stop the speeding car.
Sergeant Steve Gaskins spoke briefly at a press conference about the incident, saying his troopers disengaged with the driver after the car proceeded into Ybor City.
The car sped down 7th Avenue and crashed near the gay bar Bradley’s, plowing through more than a dozen people who were standing outside. Police did not specify what kind of damage the building sustained.
“[It] didn’t slow down, didn’t stop, just hit straight into it,” said Howard Hopkins, who says he was there when it happened. “Tables went flying, chairs went flying. People went flying. It was bad.”
Three of the victims died at the scene, and a fourth person died at the hospital.
“There was no screaming until after because it happened so fast,” said Hopkins.
Bercaw said all of the victims were adults over 20 years of age.
The suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, was arrested at the scene. He has been charged with four felony counts of vehicular homicide and four felony counts of aggravated fleeing with serious bodily injury.
Court records indicate that Sampson received a citation for speeding in Hillsborough County less than two months ago. The complaint said he was going 99 mph on Interstate 75, where the speed limit is 70 mph...
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Death penalty. 30 days.
I didn’t know it was possible to go 99 on I-75.
Here is a link to the mugshot.
https://tbcrimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/11/SILAS-SAMPSON-202538870-s10.jpg
“…. Facing 8 felony charges”
What he’s not facing is the death penalty. Back when we were a serious country it wasn’t unusual at all for serious criminals to be tried and executed in a matter of weeks. They didn’t mess around. Swift punishment is absolutely crucial to maintaining a reasonably civilized society.
With the tats looks like a gang banger
Sheriff Grady Judd would not have called the driver a “gentleman”.
Horrible; thanks for the pics. Condolences to family and friends of the dead and injured.
“I didn’t know it was possible to go 99 on I-75.”
I-275.
OTOH, once on I-75 I was in traffic doing 95 and we got passed by an old Prius.
“What he’s not facing is the death penalty. “
He could be.
Another chapter in the book “Nothing Good Happens After 8:00 p.m.”
“Trust no one” eh. Most notably himself but criminals have loads of self esteem until things go south so to speak.
He kills 4 people and tries to look tough about it. I bet his elementary school teachers had tattoos and nose rings. Of course they had weird colored hair.
Almost forgot, the teachers were probably fat and ugly.
He seems nice.
🙄
That’s the end of Bradley’s. You can’t do repairs and re-open a business where your clientele are going to be sitting and drinking in a sidewalk cafe and having a good time where four lives were very violently taken.
The karma would be horrible on that sidewalk.
Nice tats
Liberals: Senseless killings like this are why We need more gun control.
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