One person was killed and two others were injured early Tuesday then a patron who had been kicked out of a Tampa strip club plowed a semi-truck cab into the building.
Police were called Emperor’s Gentlemen’s Club around 4:19 a.m. after the truck hit bystanders in the parking lot and then drove into the front of the strip club.
Police believe the incident was intentional after witnesses said the 25-year-old driver had just bounced from the facility following an altercation inside. He is said to have targeted a group of customers who were standing outside at the entrance.
An adult man died in the crash, while two other adult men were injured. The driver of the truck, who has not been identified, also suffered serious injuries. The wounded victims are expected to survive.
Police said the man involved in the altercation with the suspect before the crash was not hit.
“What the officers discovered was that after an altercation at the club, a A 25-year-old white man left the clubgot into a vehicle and waited, lying undercover until the person he had an argument with left the club, Tampa Police Maj. Patrick Messmer told Fox 13.
The suspect, who is hospitalized in stable condition and in police custody, will eventually be charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and DUI manslaughter, police said.
“This is an incredibly tragic and completely avoidable event,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a press release. “We will work to get justice for the victims and their families. Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the innocent bystanders who witnessed this horrific ordeal.”