‘That's when I spin, fly, hit the ground': Victim hit by man during deadly Tampa rampage speaks

A victim is speaking out after he was struck by a man who led police on a deadly chase in Tampa that ended with a fatal police shooting over the weekend.

The incident unfolded Sunday when 48-year-old Jeremiah Bailey got into an argument with a man outside a Dollar General, Tampa Police said.

Bailey followed the man home and struck him before leaving the home, police said.

That victim, Eric Archield, recalled the moments that led up to him being hit.

Archield said he was at a gas station when he noticed Bailey pulling up in a white Honda. After coming out of the convivence store, his car was blocked by Bailey's.

“I come out, and he’s parked directly next to my door,” he said. “I can’t open my door.”

Archield asked Bailey if he could move his car, which escalated the situation.

“I pull out, next thing I know, I see headlights behind me, bend this corner, still see the headlights, bend this corner, still see the headlights,” he said. “I must’ve turned, you know, maybe five or six streets.”

In an attempt to stop Bailey from following him, Archield arrived at his friend's house, where Bailey got out with a tennis racket and started waving it.

Then his friend, Archield said, came out of the home with a gun and fired a warning shot, which caused Bailey to get back in his car.

“I think he thought it was a through street, but it’s a dead end so he turns around and does 60 towards us,” Archield recalled.

Bailey then started reversing his car toward Archield.

He recalled telling Bailey that his car was getting too close to his and when he walked around his car, Bailey struck him.

“That’s when I spin, fly, [and] hit the ground,” he said.

While he was still on the ground, Archield said was fearing for his life because he thought Bailey was going to run him over. But he said his friend saved his life by firing more shots, scaring Bailey away.

Bailey would flee the scene but continued driving recklessly, striking three more people, killing one, until he was stopped by police.

When police stopped Bailey's car with a PIT Maneuver, officers fatally shot him after they believed he was reaching for a weapon, officials said.

Bailey had an extensive criminal record and was released from prison Florida State Prison in 2022, police said.