Mel Gibson’s DUI Arrest

By: Shannon Gossage

Gibson, 50, was arrested at 2:36 a.m. after officers pulled him over for driving at an excessively fast speed on the Pacific Coast Highway. Sheriff’s spokesperson Steve Whitmore said in an interview, "The investigation is ongoing. As we would do with anyone, we don’t want to release any more since the information is fragmentary." Gibson was booked and released on $5,000 bail. Alan Nierob, Gibson's publicist, said, "We don't have any information on [the arrest], but are checking into it."

The actor and director has another DUI arrest under his belt. He was arrested in Canada in 1984 for driving under the influence. At the time Gibson was filming a movie with Diane Keaton. He said in an interview in 2004 that in the early 90’s he suffered from being "spiritually bankrupt." Gibson said his downfall was addictions. He said in the interview, "I would get addicted to anything, anything at all. Doesn't matter what it is--drugs, booze, anything. You name it--coffee, cigarettes, anything."

The actor/director said it go so bad that in 1991 he thought about "jumping out of a window" and said, "I just didn’t want to go on." He began going to Alcoholic Anonymous meetings to battle his demons. He wrote and directed the controversial movie The Passion of the Christ and claims that he did the movie after he "reconnected with his religion" and started to turn his life around. His latest directorial effort on the movie Apocalypto is slated for a December release.