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US-19 crash leads to arrest of Dunedin man on DUI manslaughter charges minutes after leaving another crash scene

Clearwater Police traffic homicide investigators have arrested a Dunedin man after a fatal crash on US-19 on May 18, 2023.

Bryant Mendoza, age 46, was charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail early this morning after being treated for minor injuries at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

The crash occurred at 11:20 p.m. in the northbound lanes of U.S. 19 at Harn
Boulevard. A 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by Mendoza, crashed into a parked crane in a construction zone. The right and middle lanes had been closed off, but Mendoza went in them nonetheless. A witness to the crash also said he was traveling approximately 70-80 mph (the speed limit in the area was 55 mph).

A 37-year-old female passenger in the Jeep was flown to Bayfront, where she died. Firefighters worked to extricate her from the vehicle for over 20 minutes.

According to arrest documentation, Mendoza had bloodshot, watery, glassy, and droopy eyes. He provided two consensual blood samples, with official results still pending. His blood alcohol level was .168 at the hospital, which is over twice the legal limit. He performed poorly with field sobriety tests and made incriminating statements throughout the investigation and admitted to drinking prior to driving.

About an hour before he struck the crane, Mendoza was involved in another crash. That crash, a rear-end collision, occurred at 10:19 p.m. at U.S. 19 and Flournoy Boulevard. The responding officer arrived at 10:55 p.m., and Mendoza was cited for careless driving.

The second crash occurred at 11:20 p.m., about a half-mile north of the first location. The Clearwater Police Department will conduct an internal investigation to determine if the officer failed to investigate if Mendoza was driving under the influence at the time of the first crash.

Northbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours as the investigation was conducted.

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