Suspect steals officer's cruiser, tries to hit him

TAMPA -- A Tampa police officer had to jump for his life Wednesday night when a man he was trying to arrest jumped in his cruiser and tried to run him over.

Authorities weren't releasing many details about the suspect, other than this: He was last seen wearing handcuffs from one wrist.

The man made off in the cruiser, but not before Officer Howard Gimbel fired four shots as the vehicle sped toward him. Bullets struck the windshield and passenger window, but apparently not the suspect.

Gimbel received cuts and bruises when the car grazed him, but he did not require hospitalization, said police spokesman Joe Durkin. Gimbel did not immediately realize he had been struck. Investigators pieced it together after recovering the cruiser three hours later and finding the passenger side mirror broken and scuff marks on a front panel.

"I don't think he fully comprehended how closely he faced death at the time," Durkin said. "I don't think he realized how he got injured."

Gimbel was on patrol minutes before midnight when he entered the parking lot of the Tampa 8 Inn at 4530 E Columbus Drive near N 50th Street. He saw a silver Volvo sedan pull in. When Gimbel ran its tag, he saw it was stolen.

Gimbel followed the Volvo as its driver maneuvered into a parking spot at the western side of the motel. As Gimbel pulled up, a female passenger in the Volvo got out and ran. When the driver got out of the car as well, Gimbel jumped out of his vehicle, leaving the cruiser's door open and the key in the ignition.

The Volvo driver refused to answer Gimbel's questions. Gimbel attempted to arrest him. He got handcuffs around one wrist before the man broke free and ran.

In the chase that followed, the suspect doubled back and climbed into Gimbel's patrol car. As the car sped toward him, Gimbel fired four shots, then jumped to the side to avoid being run over.

Investigators recovered the car about 3 a.m. 2 miles away at the 3000 block of E 25th Avenue. There was no blood inside or any other indication that the suspect had been shot.

The driver of the Volvo was described as in his early 30s, black and wearing a white sleeveless shirt.

While the license plate on the Volvo was stolen, the car was not. Durkin declined to say whether that is helping police identify suspects.

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