An officer from the Pinellas Park Police Department arrested 52-year-old Andre Whitehead of St. Petersburg. Whitehead, while operating an 18-wheeler, was involved in multiple crashes on the evening of Thursday, December 28, 2023.
Around 9:20 p.m., Whitehead exited the Publix parking lot at 4701 Park Boulevard, colliding with a fire hydrant, a stop sign, and a Hyundai Santa Fe within the lot. Continuing northbound on 49th Street, he entered the Palmetto Pointe Apartment parking lot at 7875 49th Street N. There, he struck a Kia Optima, a Ford Edge, a Toyota Camry, a Lexus RX350, a tow-away sign, a tree, and a light pole. Exiting the parking lot, he collided with a powerline, causing a power pole to break and the powerline to snap.
Proceeding further north on 49th Street N, officers conducted a traffic stop in the 10500 block. An arrest affidavit revealed that Whitehead exhibited bloodshot and extremely watery eyes, swaying side to side. His breath alcohol concentration was recorded as .067 and .071. He admitted to marijuana usage as per the arrest affidavit.
Whitehead faces charges of eight counts of DUI involving property damage and eight counts of Leaving the Scene of a crash involving property damage. He was transported and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
This appears to be the same driver involved in a 2014 crash in Hillsborough County. He was cited for an improper lane change.