Photo: Florida Highway Patrol
A 22-year-old man from Clearwater, Florida, was hit and killed by a driver after he had pulled over to help a fellow motorist out of a jam. Dhimitri Andoni was only 22 years old.
In a release from the Florida Highway Patrol obtained by Tampa Bay Times, the suspect is identified as Dana Byrd, 30. Andoni was driving on I-275 near St. Petersburg when he noticed a car had rotated and stopped in the median.
Thinking he could be of some assistance to the driver, he pulled over (he was driving a 2015 Hyundai) and went over to help. He managed to get the other car started and the man was soon on his way. According to the police, the entire encounter was captured by Andoni’s dash camera – as was everything else that happened next.
As he was walking back to his own car, another came and hit him. Byrd was driving a 1996 Ford F-150, and he too pulled over, to check on his victim, Andoni. When he realized the young man had died, Byrd left him lying there, took his car and drove off.
He then took the Hyundai to a nearby garage, Engineer Sales, where he abandoned it, and went back home.
Andoni’s father located the Hyundai through GPS tracking and, seeing that his son was missing, alerted the police. His body was discovered some hours later, along with Byrd’s original vehicle, abandoned near the body.
When police finally tracked Byrd, he was at home, seemingly without a care in the world. He was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and leaving the scene of a crash involving death. He is now in police custody, with bail set at $100,000.
Records leaked to the press show that he has a history of violent offenses, including domestic battery. He’s also been arrested for child neglect, DUI, retail theft and violation of probation – in total, he’s been arrested 16 times since 2005.
Thinking he could be of some assistance to the driver, he pulled over (he was driving a 2015 Hyundai) and went over to help. He managed to get the other car started and the man was soon on his way. According to the police, the entire encounter was captured by Andoni’s dash camera – as was everything else that happened next.
As he was walking back to his own car, another came and hit him. Byrd was driving a 1996 Ford F-150, and he too pulled over, to check on his victim, Andoni. When he realized the young man had died, Byrd left him lying there, took his car and drove off.
He then took the Hyundai to a nearby garage, Engineer Sales, where he abandoned it, and went back home.
Andoni’s father located the Hyundai through GPS tracking and, seeing that his son was missing, alerted the police. His body was discovered some hours later, along with Byrd’s original vehicle, abandoned near the body.
When police finally tracked Byrd, he was at home, seemingly without a care in the world. He was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and leaving the scene of a crash involving death. He is now in police custody, with bail set at $100,000.
Records leaked to the press show that he has a history of violent offenses, including domestic battery. He’s also been arrested for child neglect, DUI, retail theft and violation of probation – in total, he’s been arrested 16 times since 2005.
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