Pasco woman drove after, shot at mother, children, deputies say

HOLIDAY — A 21-year-old Zephyrhills woman was arrested on charges of attempted murder after deputies said she shot at a woman and her two children.

Just before midnight on March 7, Tyara Bass threatened a woman whom her boyfriend was also dating, saying she’d come back and shoot the woman and her kids, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

As the woman was approaching the intersection of Gaslight Avenue and Excalibur Street, Bass fired at her car, deputies said.

The woman’s 2-year-old and 5-month-old children were in the car at the time.

Bass then followed the woman’s car north on U.S. 19 and fired at it again. The woman made a U-turn to get away. Neither the woman nor her children were injured, deputies said.

Deputies said they pulled behind Bass on U.S. 19 while she was traveling at about twice the speed limit. Then she lost control of her car and spun across the lanes of the road, deputies said, but continued to speed away. Deputies activated their emergency lights and attempted to pull her over. Instead, she went through red lights, according to an arrest affidavit.

As Bass drove away, deputies said, a 2-year-old was in the backseat of her car.

Once deputies corralled Bass, they said she admitted to shooting at the car and said she shot because she was scared, saying the woman’s father had hit her car, according to deputies. She admitted to threatening the woman, deputies said, but said she did not threaten the woman’s children.

She was arrested Monday on three counts of attempted murder and single counts of child neglect and fleeing and eluding. Bass was booked into the Pasco County jail, where she was being held Thursday in lieu of $302,000 bail.