Tampa driver arrested in crash that killed bicyclist

TAMPA — Police arrested a 22-year-old Tampa man Wednesday after he crashed into a bicyclist and left the scene, records show.

Seth Lapensohn was driving a 2016 Jeep Wrangler east on W Gray Street near N Gomez Avenue about 7 p.m. when he struck a bicyclist who was riding east on the shoulder, a Tampa Police Department arrest report states. The bicyclist, an adult male whose name is not included in the report, died at the scene from his injuries.

A Tampa police spokesman declined to release the bicyclist’s name, citing Marsy’s Law and the department’s policy to only release the names of deceased crime victims with the permission from next of kin.

Lapensohn kept driving without stopping to help or call 911, then returned to the scene about 50 minutes later, approached police officers and identified himself as the driver at the time of crash, the report states. Damage to the Jeep was consistent with vehicle parts found at the scene.

Lapensohn had the odor of alcohol on his breath and showed signs of impairment including bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred speech and eyelid and body tremors, according to the report. He also performed poorly on field sobriety exercises.

A portion of the report that describes some sort of admission Lapensohn made was redacted from the copy provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

A breath test showed Lapensohn’s blood-alcohol content level was 0.008. Florida law presumes impairment at 0.08 or greater. A drug recognition exam also showed he was impaired, the report states. The results of a urine sample were still pending.

Lapensohn faces charges of leaving the scene of crash involving death and DUI for driving back to the scene under the influence, police said.

Lapensohn is a student at the University of Tampa and lives on the 400 block of N Rome Ave., about a mile east of the crash scene, according to jail records. He was being held Thursday in the Hillsborough County jail in lieu of $15,500 bail.