On September 21, 2021, at 7:30 am, the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a call of a hit and run crash along the southbound lanes of I-75 at Milepost 296 in Hernando County. The driver had lost control, collided with a barrier wall, and come to final rest in the center southbound lane of I-75.
Upon arrival, FHP Troopers later discovered that two Good Samaritans traveling southbound had stopped to deliver aid to an African American and Hispanic male involved in the crash only to be confronted by a shotgun.
The two assailants abandoned their vehicle in the center of three lanes of I-75 and forced themselves into the victims’ vehicle. The victims were forced to deliver the two assailants to 138th Avenue and 19th Street in Tampa, Florida.
Unharmed and released, the two victims arrived at a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office district office to report the incident. The two agencies have collaborated throughout the day to identify the assailants who revealed to the victims they had become lost after leaving Lakeland, Florida.
Anyone with knowledge of the event or suspects is asked to contact the FHP by calling 813-558-1800 or *FHP or Tampa Bay Crime Stoppers at 800-873-TIPS.