The dramatic moment an ‘agitated’ drunk driver was arrested still clutching a wine bottle after causing a crash on a busy road has been captured on a police bodycam.
Curtis Owen was behind the wheel of the car when he crashed into two other vehicles at an intersection in Strathpine, Brisbane’s north, in June last year.
The crash made headlines after a bystander captured footage of an officer rushing to the side of the car and punching Owen before using a Taser.
Owen was arrested and pleaded guilty to nine charges, including drink driving and drug offences, before learning his fate in court on Friday.
New bodycam footage has been released 9News on Monday and showed Owen kicking a wine bottle and throwing it at the officer while still behind the wheel of the smoking wreck.
Owen had a BAC of 0.18 – more than three times the legal limit – and the footage showed him being told to stay in the car and hand over the bottle.
But Owen downed the remaining alcohol and threw the bottle at the officer before trying to climb out of the window.
He kicked the officer so hard that his glasses and body camera became loose and fell to the ground.
Previously unreleased footage shows driver Curtis Owen guzzling wine behind the wheel, minutes after causing a crash on a major Queensland road
In several images, filmed by a bystander, the officer repeatedly punches the ‘aggressive’ man in the face (photo)
The driver ignored the officer’s repeated directions, which led to him punching the man as he continued to climb out the window and then deploying his Taser.
Minutes earlier, Owen had driven through an intersection before swerving around a traffic island and crashing into two cars, including a red four-wheel drive car, which had stopped at the traffic light.
Owen also pleaded guilty to spitting on an officer, assaulting two officers and obstructing a firefighter who was first on the scene.
His lawyer told the court on Friday that he had been drinking heavily after the death of a friend.
The court also heard he had a criminal history including dangerous driving, drug dealing and a 2016 offense for assaulting a police officer.
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison but walked free after being granted immediate parole.
Owen was also ordered to pay $750 in restitution to the officer he spat on, and another $500 in fines.
An investigation by Police Ethics Standards into the actions of the officer filmed beating him remains ongoing.