The dramatic moment an “agitated” drunk driver was arrested with a bottle of wine still in his hand after causing a crash on a busy road has been captured on police body camera.
Curtis Owen was behind the wheel of the car when it crashed into two other vehicles at an intersection in Strathpine, north of Brisbane, in June last year.
The crash made headlines after a bystander captured footage of an officer running up 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 hearing his fate in court on Friday.
New body camera footage released 9News Monday and showed Owen kicking and throwing a wine bottle at the officer while he was still behind the wheel of the smoking vehicle.
Owen had a BAC of 0.18, more than three times the legal limit, and was seen on footage telling her to stay in the car and hand over the bottle.
But Owen drank the rest of the alcohol and threw the bottle at the officer before he tried to climb out the window.
He kicked the officer so hard that his glasses and body camera fell off and fell to the ground.
Unseen footage shows driver Curtis Owen drinking wine behind the wheel minutes after causing a crash on a major Queensland highway.
In other footage filmed by a bystander, the officer repeatedly punches the “aggressive” man in view (pictured)
The driver ignored the officer’s repeated instructions, prompting him to punch the man as he continued to climb out the window and then deploy his Taser.
Minutes earlier, Owen had driven through an intersection before swerving across a traffic island and crashing into two cars, including a red SUV, that was stopped at the light.
Owen also pleaded guilty to spitting on an officer, assaulting two officers and obstructing a firefighter who arrived first on the scene.
His lawyer told the court on Friday that he had been drinking heavily following the death of a friend.
The court also heard he had a criminal record including dangerous driving, drug dealing and a 2016 offense for assaulting a police officer.
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but was released after being granted immediate parole.
Owen was also ordered to pay $750 compensation to the officer he spat at and another $500 in fines.
An investigation by the police ethics standards command into the actions of the officer filmed punching him remains ongoing.
