<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A speeding car fleeing police slammed into a crowded bar, killing four people and injuring 11 in a historic district of Tampa, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/florida" rel="" target="_blank" title="Florida"><span>Florida</span></a><span>, that is known for its nightlife and tourists.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An air patrol unit spotted the silver sedan driving recklessly on a freeway at about 12.40am local time (3.40pm AEDT) after it was seen street racing in another neighbourhood, the Tampa Police Department said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Florida Highway Patrol caught up with the vehicle and tried to perform a PIT manoeuvre, which involves bumping the rear fender to cause a spinout, but it was unsuccessful.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/aussies-starting-side-hustles-out-of-financial-necessity-exclusive/dc008c47-a5b4-4a4b-a8d2-57e686e7e2b6" target="_blank" title="Aussies like Cassie resorting to selling their clothes to make ends meet"><strong><span>Aussies like Cassie resorting to selling their clothes to make ends meet</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/st-marys-sydney-three-injured-crash-involving-police-car/86318430-dce5-46b9-897f-43dba8ed969d" target="_blank" title="Critical incident declared after horror head-on collision involving police car"><strong><span>Critical incident declared after horror head-on collision involving police car</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Highway patrol officers “disengaged” as the vehicle sped toward historic Ybor City near downtown, police said, and ultimately the driver lost control and hit more than a dozen people outside the bar, Bradley's on 7th.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Three people died at the scene, and a fourth died at a hospital.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/a-car-fleeing-police-slams-into-a-bar-in-florida-killing-4-and-injuring-11/b1b8c6c2-43cb-479b-b60a-b8e0d26e926a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As of Saturday afternoon, two people were hospitalised in critical condition, seven were listed as stable and two had been treated and discharged, police said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Additionally, there were two people who had only minor injuries and declined treatment at the scene.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and all those who were impacted,” Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Officers identified the suspect as 22-year-old Silas Sampson, who was booked and was being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russian-strikes-hit-an-apartment-building-and-energy-sites-in-ukraine-killing-4/17c74b94-f9df-4969-aab9-64c632500b8c" target="_blank" title="Russian strike kills four in Ukraine apartment while residents slept"><strong><span>Russian strike kills four in Ukraine apartment while residents slept</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Court documents show Sampson was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding with serious bodily injury or death, all first-degree felonies.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No attorney was immediately listed for Sampson who could speak on his behalf.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“Our entire city feels this loss,” Mayor Jane Castor, who also served as Tampa's first female police chief, said on social media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She added that the investigation is ongoing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In recent years, some states and local agencies have pushed to restrict high-speed car chases to protect both civilians and officers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Following a rise in fatalities, a 2023 study funded by the US Department of Justice called for chases to be rare, saying the dangers often outweigh the immediate need to take someone into custody.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nevertheless, Florida's highway patrol has loosened limits on car chases and PIT maneuvers, tactics that the Justice Department-backed report characterised as “high-risk” and “controversial.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong><span></span></div></div>