CLEARWATER, Fla. — A man accused of beating a bicyclist to death with a tire iron in Clearwater was arrested by law enforcement — but the search for another person involved is ongoing.
During a news conference Saturday morning, Clearwater Deputy Chief of Police Michael Walek explained 26-year-old Jermaine Bennett, a Tampa resident, was arrested after law enforcement was able to identify the car seen at the scene of the crime as his.
"This case was very heinous and very violent," Walek said.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office was able to help Clearwater police with arresting Bennett at his job in Wesley Chapel.
Bennett is facing a charge of first-degree murder, and Walek said the 26-year-old confessed to the killing which he described as a "random act."
"During the interview, he showed no remorse to the killing," Walek explained.
Now that Bennett is in custody, the police chief is asking for another person involved in the crime to turn himself in.
"it's only a matter of time before we get you," he said.
The second person involved is described as being a man with a slender build between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall.
In an earlier tweet, the department said the man killed was 49-year-old Jeffrey M. Chapman of Clearwater Beach.
Officers said Chapman was found dead at around 12:37 a.m. Friday on Mandalay Avenue near Acacia Street.
Walek previously said calls came to police regarding sounds of a struggle and "acts of violence" in the area. When police arrived, they found the man dead on the sidewalk in the neighborhood.
Police reportedly believe Chapman was riding a bicycle in the area. However, this was not a hit-and-run, but rather a violent attack, Walek previously explained.
In the update Saturday, the police chief said this crime was a random act, with no actual reasoning behind it.
Watch the full news conference below.