TAMPA, Fla — Tampa Police released more information about an incident that closed the Courtney Campbell Causeway for several hours on Sunday night.
TPD said around 7:15 p.m., officers arrived at West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard after receiving reports about a fire in the parking lot. Witnesses said they saw a suspect, later identified as 43-year-old Jason Larson, starting the fire. When the flames were extinguished, police said they found a dead dog.
Larson had already fled the scene by the time officers arrived, but around 30 minutes later, they were called to the Courtney Campbell for a crash. There, they found an empty car and saw Larson standing on a ledge on the other side of the rail. According to police, Larson was making statements that he killed his dog and that he was armed and going to harm himself.
The bridge was closed as officers negotiated with Larson for over two hours. He was taken into protective custody without incident at 10:42 p.m.
Police charged Larson with animal cruelty and taken to Orient Road Jail. The Courtney Campbell reopened to traffic at 11:43 p.m.
TPD said officers did not see a weapon on Larson and did not recover one.
This is still an active investigation.
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