Fla. woman streamed live video of herself driving drunk, police say
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Authorities say 911 calls from concerned viewers led to the arrest of a Florida woman who was streaming live video of herself while driving drunk.
Lakeland police report 23-year-old Whitney Beall was using the social media app Periscope as she was driving Saturday. The video shows her saying several times that she was drunk. She also said she had a flat tire and didn't know where she was.
"You hear her saying she's drunk," said Sgt. Gary Gross, Lakeland Police spokesman to CBS affiliate WTSP. "I got to tell you I was a little shocked. After 30 years of law enforcement I hadn't seen anything like this before."
Other users messaged her urging her to stop driving before she caused a crash. Some called the police.
CBS affiliate WTSP reports that as the caller was giving police dispatch the details from the video, the video was turned off several times and the caller was unable to provide a vehicle description other than it was a Toyota. This made locating Beall more difficult for officers searching the surrounding area.
Eventually an officer logged onto the service and located Beall's car, and officers pulled her over.
A news release says Beall failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a breath test. She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. She was later released on $500 bail. Jail records didn't list at attorney. Lakeland is about 35 miles east of Tampa.