Police in Tampa, Florida, are hunting a man wanted for murder after he allegedly used his car to deliberately strike and kill a bouncer who had just escorted him out of a nightclub following a confrontation with a woman in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Jose Zamora Valdes, 32, is wanted by the Tampa Police Department on charges of murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. According to police, Valdes had been at the Vale after-hours nightclub in northern Tampa when he became involved in a fight with a woman he knew. At around 4.30am, a bouncer removed him from the venue due to the altercation. As he was being escorted out, Valdes pushed the woman, causing her to stumble into another person, sparking a brief verbal dispute before he was successfully taken outside.
Once in the parking lot, Valdes got into his car while the bouncer walked towards his own vehicle alongside a friend. As the pair walked, Valdes allegedly made “a sharp, intentional turn to strike the security guard,” police said. The guard suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital, where he died several hours later. His friend, who was also struck, sustained minor injuries and survived. Police described the bouncer as a Hispanic male in his mid-thirties and his friend as a Hispanic male in his early forties, without releasing further identifying details.
Valdes fled the scene immediately and later abandoned his vehicle, which has since been recovered and impounded by police. The investigation was initially opened as a hit-and-run case but was reclassified as a homicide on Tuesday. The Tampa Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit is now working alongside the US Marshals Task Force to locate and arrest him.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said: “Our hearts go out to the family and colleagues of the security guard who lost his life while simply doing his job to keep others safe. Using a vehicle as a weapon and driving into unsuspecting victims is a cowardly act, and it has no place in our community. Our officers, detectives, Fugitive Apprehension Unit, and federal partners, are working tirelessly to ensure this dangerous individual is taken off the streets and will face justice for his actions.”
If arrested and convicted, Valdes faces a potential sentence ranging from 15 years to life in prison, or the death penalty, depending on the severity of the murder charge, as well as up to a further 15 years for the aggravated battery charge.
Anyone with information about Valdes’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department on 813 231 6130, referencing report number 26-336350, or to share anonymous tips by calling 800-873-TIPS.
