Justin Bieber DUI Arrest: Low Blood Alcohol Level Raises Police Report Questions
Justin Bieber’s DUI arrest report is under focus today as it’s alleged the singer had almost no alcohol in his system at the time of arrest, which raises questions over statements made by arresting officers in the report.
Read the report in three parts, here, here, and here.
Bieber was arrested at 04:13 am after police stopped him while allegedly drag-racing down Pine Tree Drive and 26th Street at 55 to 60 mph in 30 MPH in a yellow Lamborghini against another driver Khalil Amir Sharieff in a red Ferrari who was also arrested, say police.
Both TMZ and the Miami Herald are reporting law enforcement sources revealed Bieber’s blood alcohol level was 0.014 and 0.011 — and not the 0.4 widely reported on Thursday.
From the Miami Herald:
“Bieber’s breath test did not show any substantive alcohol use. He blew 0.014 and 0.011, well below the legal limit. That amount is too low for authorities to suspend a license for an underage driver, although Bieber does not have a Florida license.”
From TMZ:
“We have now confirmed Justin’s actual blood alcohol level. It was 0.014 — next to nothing. Legal intoxication is.08. Law enforcement sources told TMZ Thursday Bieber had a 0.04 but we’ve now confirmed that is NOT true. He had a 0.014 — an enormous difference.”
Arresting officer Fulgencio Medinar Medina claims he detected alcohol on Bieber’s breath before the singer took the field sobriety test, and failed it.
“I immediately smelled the odor of alcohol emanating from the driver’s breath and bloodshot eyes,” Mediana wrote in the arrest report. “The driver had slow deliberate movements and a stuper look on his face.”
It’s possible that statement could possibly be an exaggeration or over-nudging if the alcohol in Bieber’s system was negligible.
However, on Thursday Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told press in a news conference that Bieber had allegedly admitted he had been smoking marijuana “all day” and was taking prescription anti-depressants. Both of these produce intoxicated states.
The Miami Herald reports a “Drug Recognition Expert” evaluated Bieber and decided he was driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
The outlets adds results of a urine sample will emerge within the next few days.
The Herald also noted a source who was at SET, the Lincoln Road nightclub Bieber attended Wednesday night said the superstar only drank Red Bulls and water.
TMZ reports Bieber said he wasn’t drunk when he was arrested, yet still failed his roadside sobriety test.
Update: CNN reports a source close to the investigation said two breath tests estimate Bieber’s blood alcohol level after his arrest was indeed 0.014 and 0.011.
Both would be below the general.08% legal limit for drivers and Florida’s.02% limit for drivers under the legal drinking age of 21.
The alcohol level doesn’t necessarily clear the singer of DUI, as Florida law states people can be convicted if controlled substances — not just alcohol — impair the driver’s “normal faculties.”
Miami Beach police still claim Bieber admitted to drinking one beer, using marijuana and taking prescription pills before his arrest and that failed the field sobriety test, CNN added.
TMZ suggest blood alcohol level discrepancy could undermine the police report’s credibility. While that remains to be seen, it cannot be denied the percentage jump is significant.
The website is also claims speeds reached by Bieber and Sharieff in the alleged drag-race are not consistent with what was reported in the arrest report.
The star was released on $2,500 bond from Miami-Dade County jail’s Turner Guilford Correctional Center on Thursday afternoon, after attending his satellite hearing with his attorney Roy Black.
Bieber jetted out of Opa-Locka Airport Miami, Florida, late Friday. At press time, destination unknown.
