County fire chief arrested after roadside aggression incident in Redington Shores | Crime, Accidents & Fires

A St. Pete Beach Fire Department district chief was arrested May 23 after officials said he attacked and struck a bicyclist during a roadside aggression incident on Gulf Boulevard in Redington Shores.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, officers arrested Thomas McClave on charges of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and simple assault following the altercation around 5 p.m.

McClave, 55, of Seminole was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle, a 2017 Chevrolet pickup truck, south on Gulf Boulevard near 175th Avenue when he pulled up behind a bicyclist riding in the shared lane. McClave pulled up next to the bicyclist, 58-year-old Gregory Hicks, and yelled at him to get off the road, officials said.

The two men briefly yelled at each other, and then Hicks rode his bicycle onto the raised median of Gulf Boulevard. Officers said McClave followed Hicks in his pickup truck, intentionally driving into the median and nearly hitting Hicks, who had to swerve.

McClave then stopped, got out of his car, stabbed Hicks twice in the chest and knocked the cellphone out of his hand as he tried to record the encounter, officials said.

McClave was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and listed as being held without bail on May 24. It was unclear if he made an initial court appearance.

St. Pete Beach Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick said McClave has been suspended without pay pending an investigation into the incident. Kilpatrick said the fire department had no further comment.