At least four people are dead and 13 are injured after a car crashed into a popular nightclub in Tampa just before 1 a.m. on Saturday. While Bradley’s on 7th is billed as a gay bar and nightclub, police statements suggest that the accident was the result of a street racer who lost control of his vehicle, and not a targeted hate crime.
A ‘tight-knight family’
“Bradley’s on 7th is known for being a very tight-knit family of employees and customers,” owner Bradley Nelson told Straight Arrow News. “Our customers are very loyal and have made Bradley’s on 7th what it is today. They are truly part of our family. We ask you remember all those killed and injured in your prayers, as we do the same.”
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Around 12:40 a.m. Saturday, air units with the Tampa Police Department saw two vehicles racing along surface streets toward a local interstate, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. As the cars approached I-275, one entered the highway, while the other continued down Hillsborough Avenue.
Officers with the Florida Highway Patrol attempted to stop the vehicle twice along Hillsborough, once as a routine traffic stop and again using a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver. However, both attempts were unsuccessful.
When the driver approached Ybor City, Sergeant Steve Gaskins said during a press conference Saturday, the Florida Highway Patrol officers decided to end their pursuit. Shortly after, the car crashed into more than a dozen people standing outside Bradley’s.
“This event has been very traumatic for my entire staff, and myself,” Nelson said. “Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of those who were killed, and to all the injured.”
4 dead, 13 injured
Authorities arrested Silas Sampson, 22, at the scene. He is currently facing four felony counts of vehicular homicide and four felony counts of aggravated fleeing with serious bodily injury.
“This morning we had a tragic incident where at least four victims senselessly lost their lives and 11 others were injured as a result of a careless, reckless driver,” Bercaw said. The number of people injured was later revised to 13.
According to local media outlet WFLA, three people died at the scene and another died at the hospital. Two people are listed in critical condition, seven are in stable condition, two have been discharged from the hospital, and two others were treated at the scene.
“What happened in Ybor last night was devastating. Families are grieving, first responders are hurting, and our city feels this loss,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor posted to X on Saturday. “My thoughts are with everyone affected. The investigation continues, and our commitment to keeping our community safe has never been stronger.”
Witness recounts events
A nearby witness, Howard Hopkins, told Fox 13 News that after the car hit the corner of a building and careened into Bradley’s patio, it drove “right through people… tables went everywhere, chairs went everywhere, bodies went everywhere — it was pretty bad.”
Hopkins said that officers quickly approached the vehicle and “smashed out the window” before removing Sampson and arresting him. “But during that same time, you know, people were screaming,” Hopkins added.
