TAMPA, Fla. -- A 52-year-old man died in a hit and run traffic crash in East Tampa early Saturday morning, officials said.
Shortly after 2:00 a.m. Saturday a motorist in a rented Jeep Cherokee sped through a stop sign at the intersection of North 26th Street and East Columbus Drive, the Tampa Police Department said.
The Jeep collided with a car. The make and model of the car was not revealed.
According to Tampa police, the incident began when Tampa police officers spotted a vehicle traveling erratically with its headlights turned off in the area of North 22nd Street and Seventh Avenue.
The officers activated their emergency lights to make a traffic stop. The vehicle sped away north on 22nd Street, the release said. Following Tampa police policy, the officers turned off the emergency lights and did not pursuit the speeding vehicle.
Minutes later a crash occurred at 26th Street and Columbus Drive involving the Jeep spotted with its headlights off. After the crash, the driver and passenger in the rented Jeep ran away from the scene.
The passenger was tracked down and taken into custody but was uncooperative with police Saturday, a police media release said.
The driver of the other car, 52-year-old Artemus Holley of Tampa, died of his injuries. He was alone in the vehicle.
