{"id":1220,"date":"2026-05-21T05:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1220"},"modified":"2026-05-21T05:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:35:13","slug":"tampa-police-update-vehicle-pursuit-policy-after-review-of-deadly-ybor-city-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1220","title":{"rendered":"Tampa police update vehicle pursuit policy after review of deadly Ybor City crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>The Tampa Police Department updated its vehicle pursuit policy after a deadly crash in Ybor City that killed four people and injured more than a dozen others last November.<\/p>

Read more Lithia man arrested after hidden cameras, child porn and over 1,000 voyeurism files found in home: HCSO<\/a><\/p>

Police review deadly Ybor City crash\u00a0<\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

As part of standard procedures, TPD said it reviewed the response to the deadly crash. In a memo signed by TPD Chief Lee Bercaw Tuesday, “the review confirmed that TPD did not participate in or request the pursuit of the vehicle involved.”<\/p>

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Courtesy: Tampa Police Department<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

However, TPD said it did update its vehicle pursuit policy to further clarify expectations. According to the memo, “the update clearly states that TPD officers are prohibited from requesting another agency to initiate a pursuit when TPD policy would not allow us to do so.”<\/p>

On Wednesday, TPD released nearly 12 minutes of helicopter footage showing how the November 8 incident unfolded.<\/p>

Helicopter video of crash released<\/h2>

Timeline:<\/p>

TPD\u2019s aviation unit spotted two cars reportedly street racing before one began heading southbound on I-275.<\/p>

According to court documents, “the TPD aviation unit communicated the location of the vehicle to a TPD patrol unit as well as to the patrol vehicles of two Florida Highway Patrol troopers.”\u00a0<\/p>

At that point, the vehicle was near Palm Avenue and Nebraska Avenue.<\/p>

Shortly after, an FHP trooper initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle for driving recklessly \u2013 but the car didn\u2019t stop. Then, an FHP trooper tried \u2014 and failed \u2014 to use a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued down 7th Avenue.<\/p>

The FHP trooper ended the pursuit around 12:45 a.m. due to heavy pedestrian traffic, court documents state.<\/p>

About 10 seconds after that, the TPD helicopter crew can be heard on the aerial video saying, “Hey, FHP \u2014 we’ll keep him in sight if you want to back off since he’s on 7th Ave.”<\/p>

Right after the helicopter crew finished that sentence, the car plowed into a crowd of people sitting outside Bradley\u2019s on 7th and the Copper Shaker. Four people were killed, and 13 others were injured.<\/p>

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Silas Sampson, now 23-years-old, was arrested and is facing several charges, including DUI manslaughter.<\/p>

Reviewing other FHP pursuit cases<\/h2>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

In addition to reviewing the November deadly crash, TPD said it reviewed “all fleeing to elude incidents involving FHP within the city of Tampa since February 2024.”<\/p>

According to the Tuesday memo, “the review confirmed that TPD did not request FHP to pursue vehicles in any of those cases, and no violations of TPD policy were found.”<\/p>

As FOX 13 has previously reported, FHP operates under a more relaxed pursuit policy, which was amended in 2024 to give troopers fewer restrictions when engaging in chases.<\/p>

Thomas Gleason, a retired police captain who has also served as a PIT trainer and law enforcement driving instructor, told FOX 13 the policy update highlights the balancing act of having two different agencies with different pursuit policies who patrol some of the same streets.<\/p>

Different agency policies, more challenges<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“Agencies have different ways of doing things,” Gleason \u2013 who is not affiliated with the investigation into the November deadly crash \u2014 said. “But how do we merge those together where we can have a good working relationship?”<\/p>

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According to Tuesday\u2019s memo, TPD had also given FHP eight radios to help with communication during joint operations and major events.<\/p>

This week, TPD announced the department took those radios back \u2013 saying “future communication with FHP will be coordinated with our communications division with the main radio frequencies to ensure transparency and accountability for all involved.”<\/p>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

The memo does not specify if the FHP trooper \u2014 who was involved in the November incident \u2014 had a TPD radio.<\/p>

Read more St. Pete cyclists join global \u2018Ride of Silence\u2019 to honor victims, push for safer streets<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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