Video: Internet abuzz over topless woman who trashed McDonald's in Pinellas Park

PINELLAS PARK — A video of a topless woman vandalizing a McDonald's went viral Tuesday.

The news aggregation website Drudge Report linked readers to an article on Breitbart.com with a video showing the "agitated" woman inside the restaurant it said was in St. Petersburg.

But the ruckus actually happened March 24 at a Pinellas Park McDonald's.

Sandra Suarez, 41, was walking on 66th Street N about 10:50 p.m. that night clad only in bikini bottoms and clutching the rest of her clothes in one hand, according to Pinellas Park police. She went into the McDonald's at 10191 66th St. N, where an employee asked her to put her clothes on.

She didn't listen and appears to get upset. At one point she heads behind the counter and overturns cash registers, a McFlurry machine, display racks, and other equipment, resulting in about $10,000 in damage, police said.

"She destroys it," said Pinellas Park police spokesman Sgt. Adam Geissenberger. "You name it, she's turning it over."

Suarez also ate soft-serve ice cream and french fries while behind the counter.

When Pinellas Park officers arrived, Suarez "took an aggressive stance" and lunged at officers, according to an arrest affidavit.

Once she was handcuffed and secured in a patrol car, she banged her head against a prisoner partition. She was taken to Northside Hospital, where doctors said she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Florida records show no previous arrests, and officers noted she may have mental health issues.

The restaurant closed for two hours for cleanup after the incident. It appears restaurant employees leaked the video as McDonald's did not authorize its release, Geissenberger said.

Those two employees have been fired, said Juan Illas, the restaurant's owner.

"The situation leading to this woman's arrest was, at the time, surprising to all involved," Illas said in a prepared statement. "However, the posting of the video was without authorization and inconsistent with my values and how we operate our restaurant."

Suarez was booked into the Pinellas County jail on charges of criminal mischief and resisting arrest but was released five days later on $7,000 bail.

Times staff researcher Carolyn Edds and staff writer Andrew Meacham contributed to this report.