Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a reckless driver in the area of Bay Pines Boulevard and 95th Street at approximately 5:59 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2023.
A caller informed the Pinellas County Regional 9-1-1 Communications Center that a driver was crashing his vehicle into other vehicles and property. A deputy, in the area, observed the driver, 36 year-old Erik Corpora of St. Petersburg, leave the roadway and strike a street sign and tree before driving westbound into oncoming lanes of traffic on Bay Pines Boulevard.
Corpora did stop the vehicle a short distance away as he approached 100th Way. According the arrest affidavit, a deputy made contact with Corpora who was going in and out of consciousness then stopped breathing. Corpora was removed the vehicle and CPR was initiated along with the delivery of two doses of Narcan®. While providing life-saving medical care, the deputy observed a handgun in Corpora’s front waistband. The handgun, a 9 mm, was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. Corpora did not possess a concealed weapons permit and has been convicted of felonies on five different occasions, according to arrest documentation. Many previous charges included possession of drugs, carrying a concealed weapon, grand theft of a motor vehicle, driving with suspended/revoked license, and felony battery.
Corpora began to speak with deputies but refused both a field sobriety test and a blood draw. He was transported to a local hospital then later booked into the Pinellas County Jail on the following charges.
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Driving under the Influence
- Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (10th offense)
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm
- Reckless Driving
- Leaving the Scene of a Crash involving Property Damage
Source : IONTB
