A 32-year-old man is wanted on murder charges after authorities say he struck and killed a security guard with his vehicle outside a Tampa nightclub early Sunday. The incident occurred at The Vale on North Armenia Avenue after the suspect was removed from the premises.
Jose Zamora Valdes faces charges of murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the Tampa Police Department. Police said the events unfolded around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday when Zamora Valdes was ejected following an altercation with a woman inside the club. Investigators reported that after staff escorted him out, Zamora Valdes pushed the woman and then retrieved his vehicle. He later drove north on Armenia Avenue and made a sharp turn to strike the security guard, who was walking toward his car with a friend. The guard, a man in his mid-30s, suffered critical injuries and later died at a hospital. His friend sustained minor injuries. Zamora Valdes fled the scene, and officers have since impounded the vehicle involved. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said the department's Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the U.S. Marshals Task Force are working to locate the suspect.