A woman sunbathing at a St. Petersburg, Florida beach was reportedly run over by a sheriff’s deputy on Wednesday.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian incident at 4450 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach at approximately 1:08 p.m on Wednesday. According to authorities, deputy Todd Brien, 58, was speaking with pedestrians while patrolling the beach when he was dispatched to a 911 hang-up call at another location. Deputy Brien made a right-turn from his parked position on the beach when he drove over Robin Diffenderfer, 23, while she was lying in the sand on her back with a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, according to a news release by Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. (RELATED: Miami Beach Declares State Of Emergency After Weekend Shootings)
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office isn’t responding to questions about how a sunbather was run over by one of its deputies who was driving an SUV on St. Pete Beach Wednesday afternoon. https://t.co/URZzbFJTJ7
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) May 5, 2022
Deputy Brien reportedly drove the front driver side tire of the SUV over Diffenderfer’s right side and mid to upper back area, according to investigators. Diffenderfer sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being transported to the hospital.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office did not answer questions about whether it will review policies about driving full-sized SUVs on the sand according to Fox 13. The outlet also reported that locals regularly witness sheriffs patrolling the beach in SUVs though the sheriff’s department also drives ATVs on the sand as well.