Mel Gibson Arrested for Drunk Driving

[Lila64]

Just heard on Headline News that he was arrested this morning in Malibu for drunk driving, and bail was set at $5,000. More details as they come...

ETA:

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actor and director Mel Gibson was arrested Friday in Malibu, California, and charged with driving under the influence, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.

Gibson, 50, was pulled over early Friday while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. Officers on patrol reported Gibson was driving at an "excessively fast speed," he said.

He was charged with a misdemeanor and posted $5,000 bond, Whitmore said.

Gibson was not immediately available for comment.

Gibson, who acted in the "Lethal Weapon" movie series, won an Oscar for directing 1995's Oscar-winning best picture "Braveheart."

He reportedly financed the controversial movie "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), which he also directed, with $25 million of his own money. The film made $370 million at the domestic box office and currently ranks No. 10 on the all-time box office list. "Passion of the Christ" was nominated for three Oscars, but won none.

Gibson's latest movie, "Apocalypto," set in the Mayan civilization of several centuries ago, is due in December.

CNN's Albert Lewitinn contributed to this report.

 

[impy13]

Must have been all that communion wine.

 

[LMP]

Must have been all that communion wine.

Is this really the blood of Christ?

wow, this guy must've been wasted 24/7.

 

[Justin24]

Umm I already posted about this........................... And here we go with the Christ Jokes.

 

[BAW]

Umm I already posted about this

umm...yes you did...about an hour after Lila started her thread.

 

[Doozer61]

 

[Justin24]

ok, although the time shows mine at 10:19 and hers at 11:20 or 30. Oh well.

 

[kellyahern]

$5,000 bond? Is that common in California for a DUI?

 

[Justin24]

I dont think so. It would be more than that for a non-mega movie star.

 

[Lila64]

12:41pm here was when I first posted, it that counts... You might want to check your clock settings, as your time shows 11:52PM currently

 

[redkat]

Justin I think your time stamp is off, unless you're on a trip somewhere??

I don't think the average DUI would get any more than $5000 if that. Mel Gibson isn't much of a flight risk since he's so well known but $5000 isn't much for him to pay either. He can afford it and he will surely show up to court anyways.

 

[randhail]

Good for Mel, he's just joining the rest of the Hollywood crowd. Maybe he had a hooker in the car too.

 

[kellyahern]

Justin I think your time stamp is off, unless you're on a trip somewhere??

I don't think the average DUI would get any more than $5000 if that. Mel Gibson isn't much of a flight risk since he's so well known but $5000 isn't much for him to pay either. He can afford it and he will surely show up to court anyways.

Yeah, I was just surprised at the bond amount. Unfortunately, I know someone who had a DUI in Florida last year (not me, don't drink, honest) and the bond was $500. Not the fine, but the initial bond to get out of jail after the initial arrest. But then the report said Gibson was also driving at excessive rate of speed.

I don't mean to minimize the seriousness of drunk driving, I was just curious.

 

[Doozer61]

Can't wait to see the mug shot!

 

[Justin24]

My time stamp was off. doh! RandHail he is a christian man.

 

[Doozer61]

that's right, christian men believe its okay to drink and drive

 

[kellyahern]

Can't wait to see the mug shot!

I wonder if it will get in Conan O'Brien's mugshot hall of fame, along with Michael Jackson and Nick Nolte .

 

[randhail]

My time stamp was off. doh! RandHail he is a christian man.

That's why it would be faaaaantastic if he had a hooker in the car.

 

[BonosBaby12]

Wow I can't believe he got busted for drunk driving. Honestly that would have been the last person I expected to hear about doing that. For some reason he just didn't strike me as the type but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised

Im with Doozer though I can't wait to see the mug shot

 

[redkat]

taken from here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3517819.stm

Alcohol battle

While there, he played Romeo opposite Judy Davis' Juliet, and shared accommodation with Shine star Geoffrey Rush.

Mel Gibson at the Oscars
Braveheart won five Oscars in 1996
Like Kylie Minogue, he started his screen career with a role in TV soap The Sullivans before finding film fame in Mad Max in 1979.

The futuristic film became an unexpected hit, taking $100m around the world, and spawned two sequels.

More acclaimed roles in films like war drama Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously - both directed by Peter Weir - followed before his hugely successful appearance in 1987's cop thriller Lethal Weapon.

Around this time, he also began his battle with alcohol after realising he was drinking four or five beers every morning before work - later attending Alcoholics Anonymous and becoming teetotal.

Lethal Weapon was a global smash, and established Gibson on the Hollywood A-list, with three sequels helping his image and bank balance.

 

[redkat]

and apparently

This was his second arrest for DUI, the first being in 1984 in Toronto.

He slipped, alcoholics do that. Hopefully he'll get back into recovery.

 

[BonosBaby12]

Hopefully he can learn from what has happened and get back to a healthier lifestyle again. Know that alcoholism has to be one hell of a battle to fight.

 

[Down Under]

Again!
I remember when he left Australia to make it big in America (I think around the making of “The Bounty” 1984), he was busted in the States for drink driving and since then he stopped drinking.
History repeats it’s self (sadly).

 

[Lila64]

I thought he had run-ins with the law before, but not 20+ years ago...

 

[Lila64]

http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/28/gibsons-anti-semitic-tirade-alleged-cover-up/

TMZ has learned that Mel Gibson went on a rampage when he was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunk driving, hurling religious epithets. TMZ has also learned that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department had the initial report doctored to keep the real story under wraps.

TMZ has four pages of the original report prepared by the arresting officer in the case, L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee. According to the report, Gibson became agitated after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway and told he was to be detained for drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu. The actor began swearing uncontrollably. Gibson repeatedly said, "My life is f****d." Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, "I'm not going to get in your car," and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car.

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

We're told Gibson took two blood alcohol tests, which were videotaped, and continued saying how "f****d" he was and how he was going to "f***" Deputy Mee.

Gibson was put in a cell with handcuffs on. He said he needed to urinate, and after a few minutes tried manipulating his hands to unzip his pants. Sources say Deputy Mee thought Gibson was going to urinate on the floor of the booking cell and asked someone to take Gibson to the bathroom.

After leaving the bathroom, Gibson then demanded to make a phone call. He was taken to a pay phone and, when he didn't get a dial tone, we're told Gibson threw the receiver against the phone. Deputy Mee then warned Gibson that if he damaged the phone he could be charged with felony vandalism. We're told Gibson was then asked, and refused, to sign the necessary paperwork and was thrown in a detox cell.

Deputy Mee then wrote an eight-page report detailing Gibson's rampage and comments. Sources say the sergeant on duty felt it was too "inflammatory." A lieutenant and captain then got involved and calls were made to Sheriff's headquarters. Sources say Mee was told Gibson's comments would incite a lot of "Jewish hatred," that the situation in Israel was "way too inflammatory." It was mentioned several times that Gibson, who wrote, directed, and produced 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," had incited "anti-Jewish sentiment" and "For a drunk driving arrest, is this really worth all that?"

We're told Deputy Mee was then ordered to write another report, leaving out the incendiary comments and conduct. Sources say Deputy Mee was told the sanitized report would eventually end up in the media and that he could write a supplemental report that contained the redacted information -- a report that would be locked in the watch commander's safe.

Initially, a Sheriff's official told TMZ the arrest occurred "without incident." On Friday night, Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told TMZ: "The L.A. County Sheriff's Department investigation into the arrest of Mr. Gibson on suspicion of driving under the influence will be complete and will contain every factual piece of evidence. Nothing will be sanitized. There was absolutely no favoritism shown to this suspect or any other. When this file is presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, it will contain everything. Nothing will be left out."

Gibson's rep Alan Nierob tells TMZ: "We are unaware of any of the information you mentioned in your email pertaining to a police report."

 

[Dismantled]

from some LA lawyers site...

A DUI can be very expensive and usually will cost $5000 or more by the time your fines and legal bills are paid. Remember that being arrested for a DUI can cause problems with your employer and family relationships. In the end it is not worth driving drunk, and it's always a wise idea to call a taxi or a friend for a ride.

his fines seem pretty normal.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

If it's true that he said all those things about Jewish people, that is revolting and he is an anti-Semite. If it is true it is just confirming my doubts about him. In my experience people say things they don't mean when they're drunk, but they also say things that they manage to cover up when they're sober and their true feelings and prejudices and hate come out when they're drunk. He can hide it when sober for career purposes I guess.

 

[BonosBaby12]

If it's true that really acted the way he did and said those slurs about Jewish people than I have lost all respect for him. There is nothing that could excuse such behavior like that

 

[beegee]

The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu'

haha, i think matthew mcconaughey owns malibu these days.

 

[Doozer61]

He is also the biggest homophobe there is which is why I never see his movies.


Nice "Christian" attitude.