Man fleeing officer killed in hit-and-run crash, Tampa police say
A man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash on West Hillsborough Avenue as he fled from a Tampa police officer who deployed his Taser in an attempt to arrest him early Friday, police said.
Officer Luis Garcia responded about 2:20 a.m. to a report of what appeared to be a domestic assault on the 4000 block of West Hillsborough Avenue, according to a news release from Tampa police. Witnesses at the scene, including one who tried to stop the man before officers arrived, described the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Frank E. Rodriguez, to Garcia.
When Garcia approached Rodriguez and tried to question him, Rodriguez refused to obey commands and tried to reenter a vehicle with a woman police believe to be the victim, police said.
Body camera footage released by Tampa police shows Garcia push Rodriguez as he tried to walk away from the scene.
Rodriguez yelled obscenities at the officer, and Garcia replied, “Don’t get f---ing tased, bro,” as Rodriguez ran toward Hillsborough Avenue.
Garcia fired the Taser just as Rodriguez reached the neighboring sidewalk, according to the body cam footage. He took a few more steps and fell to the ground with his legs in the bike lane and torso in the road’s right lane.
Less than a second after he hit the ground, the driver of a car heading east on Hillsborough Avenue fatally struck Rodriguez and continued driving.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Rodriguez has pending felony domestic violence and felony criminal mischief charges from an arrest in Hillsborough County on May 20.
Tampa police have classified the incident as an in-custody death because the officer was trying to make an arrest when the suspect was killed in the crash, police said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will lead the death investigation while the Tampa Police Department conducts an internal investigation to make sure the officer followed department policies and procedures.
Garcia, whom the agency described as “a six-month veteran of the Tampa Police Department with previous law enforcement experience,” was placed on administrative leave — standard procedure for an in-custody death investigation.
Asked if the Tampa Police Department has specific policies regarding tasing a fleeing suspect, a spokesperson responded with a statement: “While no policy or guideline can anticipate every situation that sworn personnel might face, prior to deployment of an ECD (electronic control device), sworn personnel must take into consideration environmental factors that could contribute to serious injury.”
Police have assigned a victim advocate to the woman, whose injuries were not life-threatening.
Tampa police are still working to identify and locate the driver in the hit-and-run crash. The car is believed to be a blue four-door sedan, possibly a Nissan Altima.
