Tampa man killed in hit-and-run after fleeing police: TPD

TAMPA, Fla. – A man accused of choking a woman in an Applebee’s parking lot is dead after he reportedly ran into the street to avoid police and was struck by a car, Tampa police said.

It happened Friday night on West Hillsborough Avenue near Lois Avenue. According to police, officers were called to a parking lot near Applebee’s after receiving calls that a man was choking a woman.

Before police arrived, a Good Samaritan reportedly tried to intervene and help the woman, the agency said.

When officers arrived, police say they tried to talk to him, but he ignored them and tried to get back into the car the woman was in. Then, police say, the man ran away from officers as they tried to arrest him with a Taser.

When the officer fired the Taser, the man ran onto Hillsborough Avenue and was struck by an oncoming car, police said. The driver did not stop. Police said they are now searching for a dark-colored four-door sedan but do not have details on the make or model of the suspect’s vehicle.

The man died at the scene. The woman he allegedly strangled was injured, but her injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Police said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called in to assist with the investigation because the man died during an arrest attempt.

“We will be turning that part of the investigation over to the FDLE to assist us with this, since this was an active arrest,” Tampa Police spokeswoman Ruth Cate said during a press conference. “We will consider it a death in custody.”

Due to the hit-and-run accident, the eastbound lanes of West Hillsborough Avenue are closed between Lois Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway. Drivers are asked to find alternate routes and avoid the area.