Judge orders no bond for driver in Tampa crash that killed 4 outside bar in nightlife district

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge on Thursday ordered the detention of a man who was charged with driving into a crowd outside a bar last weekend, killing four people and injuring more than a dozen others in a historic district of Tampa, Florida, that is known for its nightlife and tourists.

Silas Sampson, 22, has been charged with 14 counts, including four felony charges of vehicular homicide, as well as reckless driving and fleeing the scene. Hillsborough County Circuit Chief Judge Christopher Sabella ordered Sampson to be held in jail on no bond until trial for the vehicular homicide charges.

Hillsborough County prosecutors had argued that Sampson didn't deserve to be released on bail since he posed a threat to the community.

But Sampson's defense attorney, William Knight, argued during a brief court hearing on Thursday that Sampson had no prior felony record, though he previously had been charged with a misdemeanor, and he had no history of failing to appear in court.

According to the Tampa Police Department, an air patrol unit spotted a silver sedan driving recklessly on a freeway early Saturday after it was seen street racing in another neighborhood. The Florida Highway Patrol caught up with the vehicle and tried to perform a PIT maneuver, which involves bumping the rear fender to cause a spinout, but it was unsuccessful.

Highway patrol officers “disengaged” as the vehicle sped toward historic Ybor City near downtown Tampa, police said, and ultimately the driver lost control and hit more than a dozen people outside the bar, Bradley’s on 7th.

Three people died at the scene, and a fourth died at a hospital.

In recent years some states and local agencies have pushed to restrict high-speed car chases to protect both civilians and officers. Following a rise in fatalities, a 2023 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice called for chases to be rare, saying the dangers often outweigh the immediate need to take someone into custody.

Nevertheless, Florida’s highway patrol has loosened limits on car chases and PIT maneuvers, tactics that the Justice Department-backed report characterized as “high-risk” and “controversial.”