Steal a Truck, Hit a Truck, Get Shot At

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A man stole a pickup truck downtown Thursday and crashed into the back of another pickup truck, triggering a road-rage chase that ended in gunfire and two flat tires on the stolen vehicle.

It started when a man police later identified as Randy H. Colby, 44, stole a white Chevrolet pickup truck from an auto repair shop, a report said. At a traffic light, the pickup truck hit the back of a black Nissan truck and then fled.

The driver of the Nissan, William McArthur Sams, 27, gave chase, police said. At a traffic light, the Chevrolet backed up and rammed into the front of the Nissan before driving off again, police said.

When the Nissan stopped at another traffic light, Sams got out of his truck with a semiautomatic handgun.

"Mr. Sams beat on the side of the pickup and then fired one round at one of the driver's side tires, deflating the tire," a report said.

A uniformed St. Petersburg officer who witnessed the scene drew her weapon and ordered Sams to drop his gun, the report said. Instead, he fired at the Nissan again, flattening another tire. Then he dropped his weapon.

Colby drove off on two flat tires but was soon apprehended.

Colby was charged with auto theft and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, police said. He was jailed and did not yet have an attorney.

Sams was not immediately charged, although police said the incident is still under investigation and will be reviewed by prosecutors.