Drunk Driver in Florida Caught via Periscope App

Whitney Marie Beall, 23, from Lakeland, Florida, was arrested after she live-streamed video of herself driving drunk this weekend. She used Periscope, a relatively new app that allows users to live stream videos. In the video, she narrates her predicament–she’s lost, has a flat tire, and is most importantly, incredibly intoxicated. Other Periscope users began reporting her to the police, and she was quickly arrested for drunk driving.

The videos of Beall are upsetting–she’s clearly drunk, and she’s reporting her state to her followers. She tells viewers she’s running a red light, says “driving drunk is not cool,” doesn’t appear to know where she is at various points and asks viewers for directions, and talks about driving over the speed limit. At one point she also wonders aloud if she’ll get a DUI, and says that she doesn’t think she will. Most of the video is dominated by Beall’s whiny musings about what direction she’s supposed to be driving in, and talking about how drunk she is. Many other Periscope users also implored Beall to stop driving, although it’s clear from the video that she’s not paying attention and isn’t listening to those pleas.

Check out some the videos below–each are about 10 minutes long and do contain NSFW language:

But the most important part of the videos ended up being the fact that she showed viewers shots from outside her windshield. Those looks, as blurry as they were, allowed people who were watching Beall’s streaming to get an approximate read on where she was, and call the police to stop her before she seriously injured herself or others.

Although the police in Lakeland don’t have access to an official Periscope account,  Sergeant Gary Gross, spokesperson for the department explained: “Luckily, one of our younger officers was able to figure it out.”

When police found her, she drove over a curb. Then she (very unsurprisingly) completely failed her sobriety test. She was arrested and booked with a very much deserved DUI.

Given Periscopes relative newness–it was only released about six months ago–it’s understandable that the Lakeland Police Department didn’t know what it was. But Beall’s case is just one example of the ways in which social media is changing law enforcement practices. After all, there have by now been plenty of cases of people being arrested based on their social media use. For example, Nicholas Wig, 26, of St. Paul, Minnesota, made headlines last year when he forgot to log off Facebook after breaking into a home and was subsequently arrested. There have also been many incidences of thieves being apprehended after taking pictures on a stolen phone, tablet, or computer. As the relationship that technology has with law enforcement continues to evolve, Periscope is just another new tool.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.