Tampa stabbing suspect jumps from Wesley Chapelle overpass, police say

A man wanted for stabbing a woman in Tampa was seriously injured Thursday when he jumped from a Wesley Chapel overpass onto Interstate 275 as officers approached him, police said.

Thomas Edward Sapp, 31, was hospitalized after jumping from the overpass on County Line Road and is charged with attempted murder, according to Tampa police.

The chain of events leading to the incident began late Wednesday when Tampa police responded to a knife attack at the Trails at Hunters Village Apartments at 8500 Hunters Village Road. There, officers found a woman with multiple stab wounds.

The Tampa Fire Department took the woman to a local hospital, where she was in stable condition Thursday, police said. Police have not released the woman’s name or her relationship to Sapp, but said they know each other.

Tampa police identified Sapp as a suspect and worked with the U.S. Marshals Service to find him. About 11:30 a.m. Thursday, investigators spotted him in a car on County Line Road, on the overpass over Interstate 275 in Wesley Chapel.

Officers worked to stop traffic and limit public interaction, but before they could interact with Sapp, he jumped off the overpass and landed on I-275, where he was nearly struck by a tractor-trailer, police said.

According to police, Sapp was taken to a local hospital and was in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Further information was not immediately available.