Lakers' owner arrested on suspicion of DUI in Carlsbad

By: North County Times | Tuesday, May 29, 2007 2:02 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- California Highway Patrol officers arrested the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team early today on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Carlsbad, authorities said.

Officer Tom Kerns of the California Highway Patrol said Gerald "Jerry" Hatten Buss, 74, of Playa del Rey in Los Angeles, was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m. after driving his gold Mercedes-Benz station wagon the wrong way on Mountain View Drive, which has double yellow lines.

Kerns said Buss was "relatively cooperative" and didn't try to resist when he was placed under arrest.

The officer said Buss was booked into the Vista jail on suspicion of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.

Shortly after noon Buss issued a statement through a Lakers' spokesman.

"Although I was driving only a short distance, it was a bad decision and I was wrong to do it," Buss said in the statement. "It was a mistake I will not make again."

The spokesman, John Black, said by phone that Buss was in the coastal Carlsbad vicinity because he has a home in north San Diego County. Black declined to say whether the home is in Carlsbad or elsewhere.

Buss had been released from the jail by 10:30 a .m. today, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department web site.

The final results of the blood alcohol test won't be available for about three weeks, said Kerns.

He said a 23-year-old woman, a resident of New York City, who was in the Mercedes with Buss wasn't arrested.

As far as the arrest, Kerns said, Buss came to the attention of Highway Patrol officers Sal Gutierrez and his partner, Julie Cahill, at 12:50 a.m. in downtown Carlsbad.

The officers were on Carlsbad Boulevard, south of State Street, when they saw the Mercedes traveling with its high-beam head lights on in the opposite lane, said Kerns.

He said the driver failed to turn off the high beams, so the officers made a U-turn and caught up with the station wagon. The Mercedes was traveling under the speed limit at about 30 mph, Kerns said.

"Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes and made a right turn onto Mountain View Drive," the officer said.

At that point, Kerns said, the station wagon began driving on the wrong side of Mountain View. He said the officers got behind the Mercedes and started their patrol car's emergency overhead lights.

"The Mercedes' (driver) failed to react and continued at 20 mph" before stopping at the Pacific Avenue intersection, said Kerns.

He said the officers gave Buss field sobriety tests and used a field alcohol screening device to determine that he was suspected of driving under the influence.

According to the Lakers Web site, Buss bought the Lakers, The Forum sports arena, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League in 1979 during a $67.5 million deal that was then the largest transaction in sports history.

The Lakers have won eight National Basketball Association titles since Buss bought the team.

The Web site also noted that Buss is a competitive high-stakes poker player.

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