On Oct. 10, Lakeland Police Department was alerted of a drunk driver after Periscope viewers watched a live video of a 23-year-old woman taping herselfwhile driving, claiming to be “so drunk.”
As the live video streamed, Lakeland police started receiving 911 calls from viewers as the possible drunk driver was broadcasting herself on Periscope. Periscope, owned by Twitter, is a live video streaming platform, which allows people to broadcast live videos anywhere in the world.
After receiving several 911 calls, Tampa area officers began followingW. Beall’s stream. On the video, Beall, 23, repeatedly tells viewers that she’s drunk while she’s seen driving aimlessly around town.
Beall was allegedly driving with a flat tire and hit a road sign. In the video, Beall says that she really hopes she doesn’t get a DUI.
As the “Drunk Girl Driving” video streamed live, many viewers told Beall to get off the road. One such viewer said, “Stop for us” while another viewer told her she’d get there faster if she were to stop and get out and walk.
One of the callers said that a female driver was driving in north Lakeland, but he couldn’t provide a location since he was watching the streaming video live. The caller was unable to provide a vehicle description, except for the fact that she was driving a Toyota.
The tips made it hard for officers to locate Beall since all they knew to look for was a female driver in a Toyota.
Since the Lakeland Police Department does not have access to Periscope, they weren’t able to monitor Beall’s movements. One officer logged on to their personal account in an effort to narrow down the driver’s location.
Based on the landmarks in the streaming video, LPD officers were able to locate Beall eastbound on Carpenters Way. Once they found Beall, they determined that she was driving a 2015 Toyota Corolla with a flat tire.
When officers initiated the traffic stop, Beall’s vehicle struck the south curb with her right front wheel. Officers immediately smelled alcohol on her breath. They said that her speech was slow, that her eyes were bloodshot, and that she appeared to be disoriented.
Beall submitted to the field sobriety tests, which she failed and she refused to take a breathalyzer test. She was
arrested by Officer Mike Kellner and charged with DUI.
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