22 Year Old Killed After Stopping to Help a Driver — and the Suspect Steals His Car: Police

Photo: Facebook

“Shortly after stopping, the motorist was able to depart the scene and Andoni walked back to his vehicle,” the press release says.

As Andoni returned to his car, Dana Thomas Byrd, 30, of St. Petersburg hit and killed him in a 1996 Ford, according to authorities. “Byrd stopped along the shoulder, approached Andoni and discovered he was deceased. Byrd then entered Andoni’s vehicle and fled the scene of the crash,” the press release said.

Florida Highway Patrol

Byrd allegedly left Andoni’s car at Engineer Sales in St. Petersburg, where Andoni’s father found it hours afterward through GPS tracking. Police said they found Andoni’s remains and Byrd’s car on Friday and arrested Byrd at his home in St. Petersburg for leaving the scene of a crash involving a death and grand theft auto.

Andoni’sFacebook pagesays that he had worked at Wells Fargo and had studied at the University of South Florida.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Officedatabase, Byrd was booked on Friday. He appeared before a judge on Saturday, according to WFLA, and has a $100,000 bond, records show.

The database says that Byrd has been arrested in Pinellas County 16 other times since 2005 for charges including driving under the influence, retail theft, domestic battery, child neglect and violation of probation.

source: people.com