Ybor City Tragedy Sparks Expert Debate on Police Chase Protocol Reform

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In a tragic incident that unfolded in Tampa’s Ybor City, a vehicle plowed into the patio area of Bradley’s on 7th, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuring 13 others, according to recent surveillance footage.

“It felt like a war zone,” recounted Camaron Barker, who was sitting on the patio at the time of the crash.

Additional video footage captured the car speeding down the street, narrowly missing a pedestrian whose foot was reportedly run over. The man then quickly retreated into another nearby establishment. Court records describe a harrowing scene, with at least two people being thrown into the air by the impact; one struck the ceiling of Bradley’s outdoor seating area, while the other was propelled into an exterior wall.

“I found myself helping those trapped on the ground, squeezed between stools and the car,” Barker shared, recalling the chaotic aftermath.

The incident began when 22-year-old Silas Sampson allegedly evaded police attempts to pull him over and engaged in street racing on I-275. Florida Highway Patrol officers initially pursued Sampson, employing a pit maneuver, but ultimately discontinued the chase due to the dense pedestrian activity in Ybor City.

Criminologist Alex Del Carmen said in the moment, law enforcement likely weighed what they knew about the suspect, but said they were faced with tough decisions, as they always are. 8 On Your Side asked what law enforcement should do when pit maneuvers don’t work.

“It really does depend on jurisdiction, gravity of the offense and whether or not the officers have the latitude in terms of space density and absence of innocent bystanders that could get hurt along the way. All of those things come into configuration as to what options the troopers may have in this case,” Del Carmen said.

8 On Your Side also asked if there was anything else police could’ve done to prevent the tragedy.

“I would say no. And I would say that these kinds of situations are awful, but they are lawful,” Del Carmen said. “At some point, you know, that equation has to be played out, which is do we stop it now at whatever it may cost in terms of human life, versus letting this person continue to evade the law and cause even more harm to other innocent people.”

Sampson has a pretrial detention hearing set for Thursday morning.