Highland Township man fatally strikes father in Florida hit-and-run

TREASURE ISLAND, Florida (FOX 2) - A man from Highland Township killed his father in Florida by repeatedly running him over before fleeing the scene, according to law enforcement. 

The incident took place around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in the parking lot of a bar in Treasure Island – a city in Pinellas County, Florida that is close to Tampa Bay.

Mark McKeown, 61, struck and dragged his 86-year-old father, Thomas McKeown, using a black 2019 Dodge Ram, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to investigators, Mark was visiting his father in Florida. Witnesses said he appeared intoxicated even as he arrived with his father to the bar.

When leaving, Thomas walked towards his son's pickup truck, which was backed up in a parking spot outside the bar, police said. Thomas "appeared to fall to the ground" before Mark ran him over, dragged him, reversed the vehicle, and continued running him over multiple times before driving away.

"Mark was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death," the sheriff's office stated in a news release. "Impairment appears to be a factor in the crash."

61-year-old Mark McKeown arrested in Flroida

Thomas was taken to a nearby hospital where he died due to his injuries. 

The suspect, Mark, was released from jail after posting a $50,000 bail, according to several Florida media outlets.

A worker at The Floridian Cuban Sandwiches, a business down the street from where the incident took place, said he had never seen "anything like that." 

"No actual violence like that towards anybody," Neil Rakun continued. "When I first heard about it, I assumed that he just accidentally ran over some random person walking, but then later I found out it was his father. …which is just extra crazy."