Kevin Arriola, 29, is charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and shooting into a vehicle.
TAMPA, Fla. — A judge has denied bail for the man accused of opening fire on a nurse’s car after a crash near the Selmon Expressway Tuesday morning.
The suspect, 29-year-old Kevin Arriola, is currently hospitalized, so in court Thursday, his attorney waived his presence. He’s charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and shooting into a vehicle.
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According to court documents, Arriola was driving erratically on the Kennedy Boulevard exit ramp when he crashed into multiple vehicles. Witnesses told police he then got out of his gray Mazda and started shooting into a red Chrysler 300.
Investigators say the woman driving that car, a nurse, had stopped to see if anyone needed help after the crash. That’s when Arriola allegedly began firing directly into her windshield.
There are nine bullet holes in her car, but she was not hurt. Police say she later identified Arriola as the shooter.
Court records say when deputies from the nearby Hillsborough County Courthouse rushed to the scene, Arriola resisted arrest and yelled, “I’m God” and “I killed her.”
One witness who was also hit in the crash described the chaos and confusion that followed.
“Then he looked like he was turning toward me, and I get out of my car and I start heading down the street to see if I could get some help,” said Reggie Gittens, who witnessed the shooting. “Just a young kid… white young kid… just screaming and shouting and I don’t know what he was on, but he needs help.”
Police say Arriola later confessed, telling investigators he didn’t know the victim but was trying to kill her.
Most of the incident, including the shooting, was captured on a tow truck’s dash camera, and there’s also surveillance video from a nearby school.
Once he’s released from the hospital, Arriola will be held without bail. He is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on Monday.