More details on Bruce Springsteen’s DWI charges are emerging.
A police officer says he saw Springsteen “consume a shot of Patron tequila and then get on his motorcycle and start the engine,” according to a probable cause statement obtained by CNN. Springsteen told the officer that he fired two shots in the previous 20 minutes, the report adds. The officer further noted that “Springsteen smelled strongly of alcohol coming out of him and had glassy eyes.”
About that, Vulture says Springsteen was asked to do two field tests of sobriety: the horizontal look test, in which a suspect is asked to keep his head still and follow an item like a pen with only his eyes, and a “walk and turn” .
Springsteen reportedly “observed four of the six clues” in the vision exam, and the officer noted that Springsteen was “visibly swaying back and forth while I watched his eyes”. He reportedly took 45 steps instead of the “18 instructed” walk test. TMZ got the full police report, which can be seen here.
Previous reports stated that Springsteen was approached by fans to take pictures and just took a shot of tequila with them before returning to his motorcycle. The incident, which took place in November but only came to light this week, took place in the Gateway national recreation area in Sandy Hook, NJ
A new story in the Asbury Park Press also says Springsteen’s blood alcohol content was 0.02, just a quarter of the state’s legal limit.
“When everything is settled, I think, people will have serious doubts about the seriousness of this, especially when the real details are revealed – including the blood alcohol level,” the source close to Springsteen told CNN.
“I don’t know why they stopped him,” added the source, commenting on the police. “I mean, technically you’re not allowed to drink at a state park – and I don’t know, maybe, if a cop sees someone drinking and doesn’t get a ticket, he’ll lose his job.” Although the source noted that “any type of driving related to alcohol is serious”, they clearly believe that the incident is being more important than necessary.
Glenn Kassman, a New Jersey municipal and criminal defense attorney who specializes in DWI cases, believes the charges against Springsteen will be difficult to prove.
“I would say that they will never prove DWI based on that [police report], ”Kassman says Rolling Stone. “There is an abyss – a great gorge – between the probable cause of arrest on suspicion of drunk driving or operating a drunk vehicle, and proof beyond any reasonable doubt that he did.”