REDINGTON SHORES, Fla. — An off-duty St. Pete Beach fire chief was arrested after chasing a bicyclist off the roadway and almost running him over before getting out of his truck and shoving him, authorities said.
Thomas McClave, 55, was driving behind Gregory Hicks, 58, in his Chevrolet pickup truck in the shared bicycle and vehicle lane Thursday afternoon on Gulf Boulevard near 175th Avenue in Redington Shores, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office news release.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputies said McClave pulled alongside Hicks and yelled at him to get out of the roadway. After yelling at each other back and forth, Hicks rode his bicycle onto the raised median of Gulf Boulevard. McClave followed him, driving onto the raised median, almost hitting Hicks who swerved out of the way.
McClave then got out of his truck, shoved Hicks in the chest twice and knocked a cell phone out of his hands as he was trying to record the incident, authorities said. Hicks was not injured, according to deputies who arrested McClave just after 5 p.m.
The fire chief was charged with one count of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and one count of simple battery. He is currently booked in the Pinellas County Jail.
Judge Elizabeth Zuroweste said during his first appearance, for purposes of bond, she is treating this as an aggravated battery because the allegations are that McClave hit Hicks. Aggravated battery is a second-degree felony with mandatory prison, so she put his bond at $35,000.
McClave was suspended without pay pending an investigation and final determination, according to a statement by St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue.
He was hired as the district fire chief with the St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue in November, according to a Facebook post by the department. The post said he was previously a firefighter for the Indian Rocks Beach Fire Department and the Seminole Fire Rescue. Aside from being district chief, he is also the department's training and safety chief.