Police: Woman Streamed Live Video Of Drunken Driving
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LAKELAND (CBSMiami) – Lakeland Police arrested a young Florida woman who was streaming live video of herself while allegedly driving drunk.
According to Lakeland police, 23-year-old Whitney Beall had a fun night drinking on the town Saturday night then decided to broadcast her drunken drive home live on the social media app Periscope.
On the video, Beall can be heard saying she's drunk several times. She also said she had a flat tire and didn't know where she was.
With periscope, you can stream live from your phone to anywhere in the world. So, people from all over tuned in to Beall's wild ride through Lakeland. Sergeant Gary Gross with Lakeland police couldn't believe it.
"I gotta tell you I was a little shocked after 30 years of law enforcement I've never seen this before," said Sgt. Gross.
Viewers tried to get her to stop and two ended up calling 9-1-1.
That's when a quick thinking officer decided to download the Periscope app for himself. He started watching the live feed and he figured out, through seeing landmarks in the video, where Beall was. Officers then pulled her over.
"Thank God somebody saw this and they called it in," said Sgt. Gross.
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.
Lee Cohen, a Lakeland attorney representing Beall, released the following statement about his client:
"She is a young professional with a bright future. When her court date is set, I will be entering a plea on her behalf of not guilty. I am not doing any interviews at this time, nor is my client or her mother. I'll be investigating the case and that starts now. I am waiting to see all the evidence, and I will take a look at it. I am also waiting for discovery from the state attorney's office."
