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St. Pete Man Charged in Fatal I-275 Crash

Dana Thomas Byrd | Florida Highway Patrol | Arrests

He is accused of stealing the dead man’s car and leaving the scene of a crash, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers.

PINELLAS COUNTY – A St. Petersburg man has been accused of leaving the scene of an I-275 crash that killed a Clearwater man, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Dhimitri Andoni, 22, of Clearwater, died at the scene.

Dana Thomas Byrd, 30, of St. Petersburg, was arrested Friday (Sept. 21) and charged with one count each of leaving the scene of a crash involving death and grand theft auto.

The crash happened about 9:08 p.m. Thursday on northbound I-275 at about mile marker 23 in Pinellas County.

Troopers said. Mr. Andoni was driving a 2015 Hyundai north on I-275 when he saw another driver who had lost control, gone off the road, and come to a stop in the median. Mr. Andoni stopped on the inside shoulder to help the unknown driver. Shortly after Mr. Andoni stopped, the other driver was able to drive away.

As Mr. Andoni walked back to his car along the right side of the Hyundai and road edge, troopers said, he was hit by a 1996 Ford F150 driven by Byrd.

Byrd stopped, approached Mr. Andoni and found out he was dead. Troopers said Byrd got into Mr. Andoni’s car and fled the scene. Byrd drove to Engineer Sales, 2500 25th Ave. N, where he abandoned the Hyundai.

Hours later, Mr. Andoni’s father used GPS tracking to locate the abandoned car and contacted law enforcement about his missing son.

About 12:30 p.m. Friday, a Road Ranger found Byrd’s abandoned pickup truck and found Mr. Andoni’s remains.

Troopers are requesting that the driver whom Mr. Andoni helped contact them as soon as possible so troopers can get more information about the incident. The FHP can be reached at (813) 558-1800 or *FHP.

Photo shows Dana Thomas Byrd. Photo courtesy of the Pinellas County Jail.

Florida Highway Patrol | Dhimitri Andoni | Crime | Arrests | Tampabay News

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