Aldon Smith was observed swerving in and out of lanes on the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach before being pulled over at 4:33 a.m. Saturday, a police spokesman said. Smith was taken to the Miami Beach Police Station where he was given two beathalyzer tests to determine his blood-alcohol level. The first was .194. The second was .176. The legal limit in Florida is .08.
According to the police report, other drivers had to brake abruptly to avoid hitting the red Mercedes Benz Smith, 22, was driving as he left the City of Miami Beach on the causeway. The officer who wrote the report said he turned on his emergency lights but Smith did not repond. The officer then turned on his sirens, at which point Smith pulled over, according to the report.
The arresting officer wrote in the report that Smith acknowledged having a "couple drinks" but that he was ok to drive and was the "designated driver." Smith was given a field sobriety test. He was then taken to the police station, according to the report, charged with DUI and transported to a Miami-Dade County correctional facility where he spent 3 1/2 hours before posting a $1,000 bond and being released.
Smith led all rookies during the regular season with 14 sacks, and he added two more in the playoffs. He set a rookie franchise record for sacks in a season and came within a half sack of Jevon Kearse's NFL record for rookies that was set in 1999.
The No. 7 overall pick in the draft twice was the league's defensive rookie of the month this past season, and he is a candidate for defensive rookie of the year, an award that will be announced Saturday. Smith has been invited to attend the awards ceremony, which will be televised for the first time.
Author's note** Unfortunately, the information about Smith's arrest came in piecemeal, first from the Miami-Dade County Department of Corrections and then from the Miami Beach Police Department. There is no intent to pick on Smith by revisiting the arrest. Instead, the intent is to provide the pertinent information.
-- Matt Barrows
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