Police say a patron deliberately drove into two men after security workers removed him from an after-hours club.

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa police are searching for a 32-year-old man accused of intentionally striking and killing a nightclub security guard with a vehicle after the guard helped remove him from an after-hours business early June 7.

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Jose Zamora Valdes on charges of murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after reviewing evidence and speaking with witnesses. Police said the guard died after arriving at a hospital with critical injuries. A friend walking beside him suffered minor injuries. Officers later found and impounded the vehicle allegedly used in the attack, but police said Zamora Valdes left the scene and remained the target of a fugitive search when the department announced the warrant.

The chain of events began about 4:30 a.m. inside the Vale, an after-hours nightclub at 7123 N. Armenia Ave. Police said Zamora Valdes became involved in an altercation with a woman he knew, prompting security workers to escort him from the building. While being removed, he allegedly pushed the woman and caused her to stumble into another patron. That contact led to a brief verbal dispute outside the club. The security guard then separated from the immediate confrontation and began walking toward his own vehicle with a friend, according to investigators. Zamora Valdes went to his vehicle and pulled onto Armenia Avenue. Police said he initially traveled north before changing direction toward the two men. The department described the movement as a sharp and intentional turn aimed at the guard rather than an accidental loss of control.

The vehicle hit the security guard and also injured his companion, police said. Emergency workers took the guard to an area hospital in critical condition, but he later died. Authorities initially handled the episode as a fatal hit-and-run investigation while detectives gathered witness accounts and examined the circumstances surrounding the collision. They later reclassified it as a homicide after concluding that the driver had deliberately targeted the guard. Police did not publicly identify the victim in their June 9 announcement, describing him as a Hispanic man in his mid-30s. They identified his friend as a Hispanic man in his early 40s and said his injuries were minor. Investigators also did not disclose the specific medical treatment the surviving man received, whether he remained at the scene or whether he was taken to a hospital.

Detectives identified Zamora Valdes through witness interviews and other evidence collected after the crash, according to the department. Police released his name, age and photograph as the search expanded. The department said he was born Nov. 21, 1993. Officials did not describe the make or model of the impounded vehicle, where officers found it or how much time passed between the collision and its recovery. Police also did not say whether the vehicle contained physical evidence that could connect the driver to the attack. Those details would normally remain part of an active homicide investigation while detectives document the vehicle, examine possible damage and compare its condition with evidence from the scene.

The department assigned its Fugitive Apprehension Unit to the search and said members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force were helping locate Zamora Valdes. The partnership gave investigators access to officers who specialize in finding people wanted on serious felony warrants. Police did not identify a possible destination, describe any confirmed sightings or say whether they believed Zamora Valdes had remained in the Tampa area. They also did not announce that anyone had been charged with helping him leave or avoid arrest. The warrant allows law enforcement officers to take him into custody if they find him, but the criminal accusations remain allegations unless they are proved in court.

Police Chief Lee Bercaw described the guard as a worker who had been trying to protect people at the club. “Our hearts go out to the family and colleagues of the security guard who lost his life while simply doing his job to keep others safe,” Bercaw said. He condemned the alleged use of the vehicle and called driving into unsuspecting victims a cowardly act. Bercaw said Tampa officers, homicide detectives, fugitive investigators and federal partners were working to bring the suspect into custody. His statement marked the department’s most direct public assessment of the evidence, presenting the collision as a deliberate attack that followed the earlier ejection rather than as a traffic crash unrelated to the dispute.

The location sits along North Armenia Avenue, a major commercial corridor north of central Tampa that contains restaurants, bars and other late-night businesses. The Vale described in the police account operated as an after-hours nightclub, meaning the reported confrontation happened well past the closing time associated with many traditional evening venues. The timing may have affected the number and type of witnesses available to investigators. Employees, patrons and people arriving at or leaving nearby properties could have seen different parts of the encounter. Police did not release surveillance recordings, witness names or a complete account of what occurred inside the club before security intervened.

The change from a hit-and-run inquiry to a homicide investigation carries an important distinction. A hit-and-run case centers on leaving a crash without meeting legal duties, while the murder warrant reflects a police allegation that the driver intentionally used the vehicle to cause a fatal injury. The aggravated battery count concerns the second man who was hit and survived, according to the police narrative. Prosecutors would ultimately review the evidence and determine how to proceed after an arrest. Publicly available announcements did not identify a defense attorney for Zamora Valdes, and no response from him was included in the department’s account.

If Zamora Valdes is arrested, he would be taken before a judge for an initial appearance, informed of the accusations and given an opportunity to obtain legal representation. Prosecutors could then present the case through Florida’s charging process while the defense seeks access to police reports, recordings, witness statements and physical evidence. A judge would separately address detention and other pretrial conditions. The precise murder theory, potential penalties and final charging language would depend on the evidence and decisions made by prosecutors. Police had announced a warrant, not a conviction, and the release did not provide a court date because the suspect had not yet been reported in custody.

Several central facts remained undisclosed, including the guard’s official identity, the woman’s account, the words exchanged during the dispute and the path the vehicle took immediately after the men were struck. Authorities also did not say whether investigators recovered video from the nightclub, nearby businesses, traffic cameras or personal phones. Such records could help establish the timing of the ejection, the positions of the people outside and the driver’s movements. Police based their public description on witness interviews and evidence gathered during the first days of the investigation but did not release the underlying materials.

The case remained focused on locating Zamora Valdes and completing the homicide investigation. Tampa police said the impounded vehicle was in their possession and the murder and aggravated battery warrant remained active as the Fugitive Apprehension Unit worked with federal marshals.

Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.