TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — New details have emerged surrounding Saturday’s deadly crash in Ybor City as Silas Sampson, the man accused of fleeing police and crashing into a bar patio, appeared in a Hillsborough County courtroom on Thursday.
An arrest report filed Wednesday charged Sampson with several additional offenses and revealed new information about the investigation into the collision that left four dead and over a dozen injured.
TIMELINE: Documents detail minutes leading up to Ybor City crash that killed 4, injured 13
The Florida Highway Patrol said an analysis of footage from a Tampa Police Department helicopter, traffic cameras and event data recorder from Sampson’s Toyota Camry determined the car was traveling at 92 to 100 mph as it approached North 15th Street on East 7th Avenue.
The car’s speed measured 82 mph when it struck a Mazda at the intersection and veered onto the sidewalk. It was traveling at approximately 77 mph when it struck the first pedestrians, according to FHP.
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Prosecutors allege Sampson was fleeing police shortly before the crash occurred. A TPD helicopter began tracking the Camry on Interstate 275 near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 12:39 a.m. as it “was observed driving in a reckless and erratic manner,” court documents said. He was accused of racing on the highway.
The Camry passed two FHP patrol vehicles and a TPD vehicle as it traveled south on Nebraska Avenue. A chase ensued at 12:45 a.m. A trooper attempted a PIT maneuver on the Camry near the intersection of 7th Avenue and Henderson Avenue, but it was unsuccessful.
The trooper ended the pursuit at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Nuccio Parkway, where the Ybor City gateway is located, “due to heavy pedestrian traffic further ahead on 7th Avenue.” Officers lost sight of the car as it entered the entertainment district.
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About one minute after the chase began, and less than 10 seconds after it was called off, the Camry veered into the opposite lane of traffic, drove onto the sidewalk in front of the Copper Shaker and crashed into the patio at Bradley’s on 7th. Four people died and 13 others were injured.
Sampson exited the car and was detained by nearby officers “within seconds.” He showed “multiple indicators of potential impairment,” according to law enforcement, and a search warrant was obtained for a blood sample. Officials have not released the results of the blood test, but the new arrest report indicated Sampson could face additional charges…