New video footage may reveal car of Aparicio's attackers | News

Tampa, Florida -- Tampa police have not confirmed it, but John Diaz thinks a car seen in surveillance footage from the night of Sgt. Johnny Aparicio's incident, may be the car that was carrying the thugs who jumped him. 

Photo Gallery: Soldier beaten and robbed in South Tampa

Additional images to the ones already released by Tampa PD, taken at 3:22 a.m., show the vehicle turning the corner near Diaz's house. 

Moments later, one of Aparicio's attackers is seen walking toward him.

Diaz says he thinks the direction in which the attacker is coming from in the video may be where they parked the car.

Just a few minutes after the car shows up in the footage, the 44 seconds of brutality against Sgt. Aparicio plays, showing him being targeted, knocked to the ground with a single blow, and then beaten, kicked and robbed.

Neighbors say they're glad someone in their normally quiet area had surveillance video of the brutal attack that could assist police.

"Thank goodness for that, because if not for that, we wouldn't have known anything except for the house he went to," said Cynthia Hillier.

Another neighbor at the apartment complex where Aparicio lives said the Sgt. is actually doing much better now, and that he's back to work. 

The neighbor said Aparicio is bruised, but that he has his sense of humor about him and actually jokes about what occurred. 

He also says that when Aparicio takes a look at the video, he thinks it looks a lot worse than it was.

Tampa police are still reviewing the images and trying to identify the suspects.

The reward has now soared to more than $16,000 for information leading to an arrest. 

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