'What Traffic Stop?': Watch Police Bodycam Footage From Ex MLB Star Johnny Damon's DUI Arrest
After Johnny Damon was arrested in Florida last month on charges including driving under the influence, newly released police body camera footage is revealing exactly what went down that night.
Released to several media outlets, including Front Page Detectives, the bodycam video starts as an officer tries to stop a car after several traffic violations. After the police officer pulled the retired MLB player over, he opened the driver’s side door, and his wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, exited the vehicle.
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The officer told him to close the door and turn the car off, and he complied. He asks the 47-year-old why his wife exited the car, and the athlete said, “Oh, because we saw you following us.”
The officer said, “Yeah, it’s a traffic stop. You don’t get out of the car at a traffic stop.”
Damon countered with, “What traffic stop?”
The officer asked, “Do you see the police lights?”
Mangan-Damon exited the SUV again while the officer drew a weapon and insisted that she stay in the vehicle. Damon attempted to step between his wife and the officer. When she walked to the back of the car, the officer grabbed her arm, to which she immediately responded with, “don’t touch me.”
The mom-of-five walked away, and the officer asked Damon to turn around. The officer asked for help detaining Mangan-Damon as other cops arrived at the scene. Both of them were put in handcuffs.
A video from a different officer also shows the cop trying to put Mangan-Damon in handcuffs, and she appears to take a swing at him.
At one point, she can repeatedly be heard saying, “blue lives matter.”
“We are good people,” Damon added. “We are good people.”
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As OK! previously reported, the the former Yankee was booked at the Windermere Jail early in the morning on Friday, February 19, and held on $1,000 bond after officers noticed his SUV swerving all over the road. His blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.3 percent — nearly four times the legal limit.
“As I observed Damon, he was extremely unsteady on his feet and his speech was extremely slurred,” an officer said in an affidavit. “I detected the odor of alcoholic impurities coming from his person as we stood at the rear of his vehicle… I asked Damon how much he had to drink during the evening, and he stated ‘just a little bit.’ While motioning with his left hand and fingers in a small pinching motion.”
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In addition to the DUI charge, he faces one count of resisting a police officer without violence. His wife was also arrested at the scene. She faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
The officer ordered Damon to stand in front of his police car and for his wife to stay inside of their car while he waited for a second officer to arrive. According to the arrest report, Michelle got out of the car anyway and stated that “she didn’t need to listen” to the officer.
“I attempted to pull Michelle toward me so that I could put her against the vehicle and then order Johnny back to the front of my car; however, Michelle then proceeded to turn toward me and grab onto my left arm while simultaneously pulling away from me and pushing me,” the arresting officer said, adding that “resulted in Michelle breaking away from me and she began to walk away.” A second officer took her into custody once arriving onto the scene.
Mangan-Damon “complained of sharp chest pains” after they were taken to jail and was subsequently transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center.
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After being released from jail, Damon apologized for his actions, according to numerous media reports.
“I apologize and hopefully I can answer more questions later on,” he told reporters.
The star outfielder played in the majors for 18 years, first with the Kansas City Royals. The franchise drafted him in the first round of the 1992 draft. Damon won two World Series throughout his career, with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and with the New York Yankees in 2009. He eventually retired from baseball in 2012 at the age of 38.
After retiring from the MLB, Damon appeared as a contestant on former president Donald Trump's reality series, Celebrity Apprentice, in 2014 as well as on Dancing with the Stars in 2018.
