Florida man confesses to beating man to death with tire iron, police say

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Police in Clearwater, Florida, have arrested a Tampa man accused of beating a bicyclist to death with a tire iron on Friday.

According to WTSP, Clearwater deputy chief of police Michael Walek said that 26-year-old Jermaine Bennett was arrested after his car matched the vehicle spotted at the crime scene.

After Bennett was arrested, he admitted to police to the beating death of Jeffrey Chapman, whose body was found Friday on Clearwater beach in what was described as a random attack.

Chapman was beaten with a tire iron at least 10 times, Walek said in a press conference Saturday.

“It was a chance encounter that turned deadly while the victim was simply trying to ride his bike home,” Walek told WFLA.

Walek told WTVT that detectives are also looking for a second suspect described as “a slender man who is between 6 feet and 6′2.”

An hour before Chapman was attacked, a similar incident occurred in nearby St. Petersburg. The victim of that incident is still alive. Police are investigating if there is a connection between the crimes, according to WFLA.

Bennett will be charged with first-degree murder, according to Walek, and is currently in the Pasco County Jail awaiting extradition, according to WTVT.

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