Pinellas found a man lying in the roadway after he was hit by a car. Deputies later discovered he was fleeing from a vehicle burglary he had committed.

PINELLAS COUNTY – A man hit by a car while crossing the road had committed a vehicle burglary minutes before he was struck, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Donald P. Sands, 55, a transient, died at the scene.

Pinellas sheriff’s Cpl. Chris Platt was on patrol about 11:30 p.m. Saturday (July 22) when he saw Mr. Sands lying in the eastbound lanes of Ulmerton Road just east of 62nd Street in the unincorporated Largo area. Mr. Sands was unconscious and had clearly been struck by a vehicle. Platt rendered aid and called for fire rescue. Largo Fire Rescue declared Mr. Sands dead when paramedics arrived.

Chad Mclaughlin, 36, of Tampa, who was driving a 2017 Cadillac CTS, came back to the scene. Deputies said he made a U-turn on Ulmerton after hitting something. There was substantial damage to the passenger side of his Cadillac.

While waiting for the Florida Highway Patrol to arrive so troopers could investigate the crash, deputies said they learned that Mr. Sands had just committed a vehicle burglary in the Leisure World Mobile Home Park, 6100 138th Ave. N. Shelby Slocumb, 42, who lives in the Leisure World park, told deputies he saw Mr. Sands inside his 2001 GMC Yukon.

Slocumb told deputies he initially chased Mr. Sands on foot but lost sight of him near the entrance of the mobile home park. Slocumb returned to his residence, got into his Yukon and met deputies who were at the scene of the crash. Deputies said Slocumb told them he did not know about the crash.

Mr. Sands matched the description provided by Slocumb and had a red cup with change that had been taken from Slocum’s Yukon.

For information about the Pinellas sheriff, go to pcsoweb.com.

Pinellas Sheriff | Pedestrian Dies | Crime | Traffic Crash | Donald P. Sands | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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