Motorcyclist wanted after driver shot
TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is now offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of a suspect after police said a motorcyclist shot a driver early Monday morning.
Temple Terrace police said it happened around 1:15 a.m. A witness called 911, saying a man inside a white Chrysler 200 had been shot by a motorcyclist heading west on Fowler Avenue near North Riverhills Drive. The motorcyclist fled east after firing shots.
"We just got off I-75, and we saw this motorcycle drive really fast by him. I heard a loud noise and [the car] started moving really slow," the witness told a 911 operator.
When officers arrived, they found the car had rolled onto a nearby sidewalk and crashed into a pole.
The driver's side window was shattered, but the driver was coherent enough to describe the shooting suspect to officers.
"He was able to speak and identify a little bit of what the motorcyclist looked like. He said it was a white male, approximately in his 40s to 50s, and he was driving sort of a street-racer type motorcycle," said Michael Dunn, spokesperson for the Temple Terrace Police Department.
The driver also described the motorcyclist as having gray hair and a long beard. His face was covered, but he was not wearing a helmet, according to the victim.
Temple Terrace police said officers are not sure if the shooting was a case of road rage. The victim said the motorcyclist had been following him for several miles.
The driver -- identified by police as a Hispanic male in his 30s -- is from California. He is currently at Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.
With no information on the color or model of the motorcycle, police are hoping someone who witnessed the shooting or knows what happened will come forward.
"Its very concerning. This is an act that could have been random, maybe it isn't random, but it happened right there on the street. That's always very concerning," said Dunn.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Temple Terrace Police Department at (813) 989-7110.