One dead after ejected strip club patron rams semi-truck into building, Florida cops say

A trucker booted from a strip club in the middle of the night returned in the cab of his semi-truck and rammed it into the building, according to investigators in Florida.

One person was killed and two were injured, and the driver was left in critical condition, the Tampa Police Department said in an Aug. 13 news release. His identity has not been released.

“Charges are forthcoming,” police said.

The crash happened around 4:19 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the Emperor’s Gentlemen’s Club, which bills itself as “Tampa’s Premier Adult Nightclub.”

“Witnesses reported the driver had just been kicked out of the club and then returned to drive the truck into a group of people standing at the entrance,” Tampa Police said.

“As a result of the crash, an adult male was killed, and two other adult males were injured but are expected to survive their injuries.”

The truck came to a stop before reaching the entertainment area, police said.

Deputies arrested the driver and he remains at a hospital “in critical but stable condition.”

“This is an unbelievably tragic and completely avoidable incident,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in the release.

“We are thinking of all those impacted including the innocent bystanders who witnessed this horrific ordeal.”

The club is located along four-lane Adamo Drive in east Tampa and hosts bachelor parties and VIP parties, according to an Instagram page.

This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 1:42 PM with the headline "One dead after ejected strip club patron rams semi-truck into building, Florida cops say."