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Offbeat

Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during sobriety test

APB Team Published January 21, 2023 @ 3:00 pm PST

iStock.com/kali9

An alleged drunk driver attempted to prove he was sober to a skeptical Broadview Heights, Ohio, police officer in a unique way: by performing a backflip. The incident, which occurred on November 23, was captured on a body camera, and the footage was released in early January.

According to police, driver Tanner Watson, 27, was pulled over for speeding in his Ram 1500 truck on Broadview Road. When officers approached the vehicle, they observed several intoxicated occupants inside.

Watson told police that he had consumed anywhere between two and four beers earlier that night, but the officer who performed the stop wasn’t convinced.

“Your driving’s pretty bad, your eyes are super glossy, I can smell booze coming from you, so I want to run some sobriety tests on you,” the officer is heard saying in the body camera recording.

After Watson failed a horizontal gaze test, the officer instructed him to walk in a straight line. But Watson was uncooperative.

The officer then asked Watson if he had taken any psychedelic drugs, which he denied.

Instead of walking the line, Watson took it a step further and performed a backflip for the officer to prove he was sober enough to drive.

“That’s good, man,” the officer said, laughing. “I can’t do that, I’ll tell you that.”

Unfortunately, Watson’s acrobatic skills did little to sway the officer, who insisted he complete the standard field sobriety test.

Watson then began to argue with the cop about what a straight line was. “To me I picture a straight line compared to your straight line, it would be obscured,” he said in a slurred voice, per the body camera footage.

The officer eventually had enough and placed Watson in handcuffs.

When Watson asked for proof that he was drunk, the officer responded: “You can’t tell me what a straight line is. I think that’s pretty solid proof.”

Watson was charged with driving a vehicle while impaired and was cited for speeding. He was later released on bond and was arraigned in court on December 1.

Categories: Offbeat Tags: drunk driver, Tanner Watson, backflip, acrobatic, Ohio, speeding, funny, DUI, sobriety test, Cleveland

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