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FHP: Man leads trooper on chase, drops 2 people off at airport before crash with pickup truck

The driver later died at the hospital from his injuries following the crash.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A 33-year-old St. Petersburg man is dead after Florida Highway Patrol reports he led a trooper on a chase, eventually crashing into a pickup truck early Saturday morning.

Just after 1 a.m., the 33-year-old man, driving a 2003 Lexus ES300, was spotted "driving erratically" along Interstate 275 by a trooper, FHP reports. The trooper reportedly attempted a traffic stop suspecting the man was impaired.

Instead of stopping, the driver continued to speed across the Howard Frankland Bridge with the FHP trooper following closely behind, the agency explains. 

Eventually, the Lexus reportedly stopped at the Tampa International Airport and let two women out of the car. Then the driver reversed and purposefully crashed into the front of the patrol car, according to FHP.

Continuing to drive away, troopers say the Lexus began to travel southbound in the northbound lanes of George J Bean Parkway, just north of State Road 616.

The agency explains that a Chevy Silverado, driving northbound on the same road, was hit nearly head-on by the Lexus. The Chevy went on to crash into a guardrail while the Lexus stopped in the travel lanes.

FHP says the 33-year-old driver of the Lexus was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. The driver of the pickup truck was left with minor injuries.

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