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Hit-and-run suspect killed in I-275 shooting with police involved in St. Pete hit-and-run: SPPD

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Published  January 31, 2025 5:42pm EST
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

More victims speak out after deadly I-275 rampage

FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia reports on St. Petersburg police confirming Sunday night’s Tampa hit-and-run suspect, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on I-275, was also involved in a hit-and-run in Pinellas County on Sunday.

The Brief

    • The hit-and-run suspect that was shot and killed by Tampa police on I-275 was also involved in a hit-and-run in St. Pete.
    • The St. Pete victims' recognized the suspect, Jeremiah Bailey, when they saw news coverage of the deadly officer-involved shooting in Tampa.
    • The couple hit by the suspect said he intentionally ran them over while they were unloading groceries outside their apartment.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg police confirmed Sunday night’s Tampa hit-and-run suspect, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on I-275, was also involved in a hit-and-run in Pinellas County on Sunday night. 

Shian Knuth and Kasim Hafeez told FOX 13 they saw news coverage of Sunday’s hit-and-runs in Tampa, where the Tampa Police Department identified Jeremiah Bailey as the suspect driver. That’s when the couple recognized Bailey as the man who hit them. 

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"My reaction was like, 'that's him.' There's no doubt in my mind that that was him," Hafeez said. 

The backstory:

Starting around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Tampa police responded to three hit-and-runs along MacDill Avenue in South Tampa. MacDill Air Force Base Tech Sgt. Richard Padilla was killed, and two other pedestrians were injured in those hit-and-runs.

Pictured: Jeremiah Bailey. 

Around 9:15 p.m., Knuth and Hafeez were unloading groceries outside their apartment complex in St. Pete near the Gandy Bridge when the couple said a white sedan intentionally ran them over. 

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"So I fell and hit the ground. And he hit Kasim, like he pinned him with his car. And I just thought it was a drunk guy," Knuth said. 

But, Knuth said she watched the driver back up and hit Hafeez two more times, dragging him underneath the vehicle before ultimately driving away. 

"When I got hit again, I barely like regained my balance or anything," said Hafeez, who suffered a broken leg and a broken foot. 

Pictured: Shian Knuth and Kasim Hafeez.

Both Knuth and Hafeez told FOX 13 they got a pretty good look at the driver through the massive hole in his shattered windshield. 

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"I can see this man's face, right? Like, I made eye contact with this person," Knuth said. 

Later, around 10:15 p.m., Tampa police responded to a non-fatal hit-and-run in the Westshore area by the airport.

At 10:30 p.m., officers followed Bailey northbound on I-275 to the Howard/Armenia exit and used a special PIT maneuver to finally get him to stop. Seven officers fired their weapons after police said they feared for their lives when the 48-year-old wouldn’t listen to commands. Bailey died on the scene. 

"My friend sent me the mug shot," Knuth said. "And I was like, 'that's the guy!'"

Big picture view:

The couple immediately told St. Pete police they recognized Bailey as the driver who hit them Sunday night. St. Pete detectives began investigating and realized there was a report of a white car with front windshield damage driving recklessly in North St. Pete that night. Then, they matched the vehicle tag. 

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"And then little by little, all the dots became connected," St. Pete police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez said. "Really, after everything happened in Tampa is when our investigators were able to determine that it was the same person. It was Jeremiah Bailey who had done this."

"It's kind of jarring," Hafeez said of the news. "But, it is also nice to like, close the loop on it."

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with the St. Petersburg Police Department and the victims in the St. Pete hit-and-run incident. Details from previous FOX 13 reported was also used in this report. 

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