Suspected Thief Prompts Standoff at Clearwater Motel

A man suspected of breaking into a parked cab and stealing a backpack containing a gun, prompted a standoff at a Clearwater motel early Tuesday morning. 

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office SWAT team responded to America's Best Value Inn motel shortly after 1 a.m. David Shaffer, 23, had barricaded himself inside a room. Deputies knew he was armed with a .45 caliber handgun and had a woman inside the room with him.

"It's a very powerful handgun and he threatened to kill deputies with it," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri during a media briefing after the standoff ended.

"That was our biggest concern, was her safety. Whether she was being held against her will."

The dramatic scene unfolded after cab driver Robert Spipins, 34, who lives at a nearby mobile home park, called 911 to report that someone had broken into his cab which was parked at a mini-storage facility located at 28420 U.S. 19, in Clearwater.

Spipins told deputies he saw a man running away from his cab carrying a backpack that the man stole from the cab. The cabbie said a .45 caliber handgun was inside the backpack, according to Gualtieri. 

Spipins chased the man, who ran to the motel.

"As the victim was chasing Shaffer, Shaffer told him that he had a gun and he was going to kill him and shoot him if he followed him into the room," said Gualtieri.

That's when Spipins stopped and called 911. Deputies then arrived a short time later and tried to convince Shaffer to come out of the room.

"He said he was going to come out shooting and was going to kill deputies if they came in the room," said Gualtieri.

Around 4:30 a.m., the Sheriff's Office decided to activate the SWAT team, which negotiated with Shaffer.

"Early on in the negotiations, he (Shaffer) wanted to exchange him coming out, if we would give him seven oxycodone pills. He wanted to get high one more time before he went to jail," said Gualtieri.

"Through negotiations with him we were able to talk to the girlfriend and found out she was safe and he eventually agreed to come out," said Gualtieri.

"It could have been a lot worse, the sheriff added.

The standoff ended around 8 a.m.

Shaffer was arrested and charged with one count of armed burglary. His girlfriend was later identified as Kristi Orestas, 22, was not charged. Gualtieri says there is no indication Orestas was involved in any criminal activity.

The sheriff's office initially reported the standoff happened in Palm Harbor. America's Best Value Inn motel is just south of Curlew Road.

• Subscribe to the Palm Harbor Patch newsletter to have local news delivered to your email each day. Sign up here.