RIGHT NOW ON NEWS CHANNEL 8
AT 07:00AM.
GOOD EVENING. WE ARE
LEARNING MORE TONIGHT ABOUT
YESTERDAY'S DEADLY CRASH THAT
KILLED A JOGGER ON BAYSHORE
BOULEVARD TAMPA POLICE SAY
BENJAMIN HAAS THE DRIVER
CHARGED IN THE CRASH ADMITTED
TO TAKING A DOUBLE SHOT OF
WHISKEY AND SMOKING MARIJUANA
BEFORE GETTING BEHIND THE
WHEEL. JUSTIN SCHECKER STARTS
OUR TEAM COVERAGE FROM OUTSIDE
TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL.
TONIGHT 8 ON YOUR SIDE HAS
LEARNED FROM TAMPA POLICE THAT
THE SUSPECT BENJAMIN HAAS HAS
BEEN MOVED FROM THE HOSPITAL
OVER TO THE HILLSBOROUGH
COUNTY JAIL THERE. HE WAS
BOOKED FOR CHARGES OF DUI
MANSLAUGHTER AND VEHICULAR
HOMICIDE.
HELLO HELLO, YEAH,
THIS 911 CALLER COULD
BARELY KEEP HER COMPOSURE AND
THE GOT IN THE HALL. IT'S ONE
OF SEVERAL EMERGENCY CALLS
RIGHT AFTER THURSDAY'S DEADLY
CRASH ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD
JUST JUST AN ACCIDENT HERE A
BRIDGE UP IN A TRUCK.
HE TOOK OUT PART OF THE
SEAWALL HE'S LAYING ON GUARD
WALKING, I MEAN IT LITERALLY
DOES HAPPEN THE TRUCK AND
DESTROYED THE POLL SERVICE
COMPANY RELEASING A STATEMENT
TO 8 ON YOUR SIDE THAT SAYS.
PINCH A PENNY OF SOUTH
TAMPA MAINTAINS AN UNWAVERING
COMMITMENT TO THE HIGH
STANDARD OF SAFETY.
AND HAVE A 0 TOLERANCE
POLICY FOR THE RECKLESS
BEHAVIOR. THIS INDIVIDUAL
DISPLAYED
I DO I NEVER FELT ANYTHING
LIKE THIS WOULD EVER REALLY
HAPPEN, BUT THE JOGGERS AND
BICYCLE RIDERS ON BAYSHORE
WERE NOT SAFE LATE THURSDAY
MORNING.
POLICE SAY BENJAMIN THE
HOUSE WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL
WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL
NEARLY 3 TIMES THE LEGAL
LIMIT. THE ARREST REPORT SAYS
HE ADMITTED TO DRINKING A
DOUBLE SHOT, A FIREBALL LESS
THAN 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE
CRASH. AT THE SCENE THIS
COLLEGE STUDENT WHO RUSHED TO
HELP GEORGE GAUGE SUSPECTED
THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK WAS
UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
AND THE ARREST REPORT SAYS
THE DOCTOR TOLD POLICE SAID
THE HOUSE SMELLED OF ALCOHOL.
A PITCH UP ANY SPOKESPERSON
TELLS 8 ON YOUR SIDE, THE
COMPANY FIRED HIM AFTER THE
LOCAL FRANCHISE LEARNED ABOUT
THIS DEADLY CRASH ON BAYSHORE
BOULEVARD IN TAMPA I'M JUSTIN
SCHECKER 8 ON YOUR SIDE.
WE ARE ALSO LEARNING MORE
ABOUT GEORGE GAUGE HE'S THE
JOGGER WHO WAS KILLED ON
BAYSHORE BOULEVARD
EVAN DONOVAN REPORTS FROM NEAR
THE SCENE ON BAYSHORE.
A MAKESHIFT MEMORIAL IS
BEGINNING TO GROW RIGHT HERE
ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD AT THE
SITE OF THURSDAY'S CRASH WE'VE
SEEN JOGGERS AND BIKERS ALL
COME BY JUST SOME OF THE
PEOPLE TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS
TODAY TO GEORGE GAUGE.
GEORGE CAGE IS BELOVED BY
MANY IN THE TAMPA AREA, A
LONGTIME RESIDENT WHO LOVE THE
AREA AND WHOSE FAMILY HAD BEEN
HERE FOR DECADES, HE WORKED IN
WEALTH MANAGEMENT AT NORTHERN
TRUST IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA
THAT HIS PROMINENT FAMILY
HELPED RESHAPE IN THE 1980'S.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF PALMA CEIA
GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB AND A
PARISHIONER AT HYDE PARK
UNITED METHODIST, WHO SENIOR
PASTOR CALLED HIM A FAITHFUL
AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THIS
CHURCH WHO WILL BE GREATLY
MISSED HIS LIFE CAME TO A
TRAGIC END THURSDAY AT THE
HANDS OF WHAT POLICE SAY WAS
AN EXTREMELY INTOXICATED
DRIVER WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL
LEVEL NEARLY 3 TIMES THE LEGAL
LIMIT IN A WORK TRUCK, LOCAL
ATTORNEYS, JD AACO SAYS THAT
LIKELY MAKES THE DRIVERS
COMPANY LIABLE. SO PINCH A
PENNY.
BY DEFINITION RESPONSIBLE
FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. CLEARLY
THEY DIDN'T INTEND FOR HIM TO
BE DRINKING AND DRIVING BUT
THE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEBODY
HURT SOMEBODY IMPORTANT SCOPE
OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT.
DE OCHO SAYS THE CITY'S
CHANGES TO BAYSHORE HAVE BEEN
GREAT BUT PROSECUTORS NEED TO
SEND A MESSAGE THAT SPEEDING
THERE IS NOT OKAY.
IT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND SO
UNTIL THERE'S CONSEQUENCES FOR
PEOPLE LIKE THIS. I DON'T
THINK ANY BEHAVIORAL CHANGE
YOU NEED TO BE SOME KIND OF A
CHILLING EFFECT IF YOU HARM
SOMEBODY IF YOU KILL SOMEBODY
ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD,
ESPECIALLY THERE SHOULD BE
CONSEQUENCES.
THE SAYS THE LEVEL OF THE
DRIVERS INTOXICATION COULD
ALSO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE
IN THIS CASE. IT'S CALLED AN
AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCE AND
IT COULD MEAN THE DRIVER WOULD
FACE HARSHER PENALTIES IF