Man critically injured, car taken

An abandoned car found in Georgia is thought to be the victim's.

By CASEY CORA, Times Staff Writer
Published December 14, 2007

TAMPA - Hillsborough sheriff's detectives traveled to Tifton, Ga., Thursday after authorities there discovered an abandoned vehicle thought to be stolen during a carjacking and shooting that left one man critically injured late Wednesday.

Investigators say Antonio Middleton of 2220 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. was with his girlfriend when they picked up a man at Waikiki Way and Ride In Road about 9:35 p.m. Wednesday.

The man ordered Middleton's girlfriend out the car. After she complied, she heard a "pop." Another witness told deputies they then saw the man push Middleton, 27, out of his car.

Middleton, who has used the aliases Antonio Carter and Taureen Baker, has a lengthy arrest record on felony drug charges, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records.

Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said a baggy of what investigators think is crack cocaine was found at the scene, but authorities haven't said whether they think it was connected to the shooting.

The vehicle, a 1999 Nissan Altima, was found behind a convenience store in Tifton on U.S. 82, about 3 miles off of Interstate 75, Carter said.

Deputies are now searching for the armed man.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-873-8477.

[Last modified December 14, 2007, 00:56:59]