MSNBC is reporting that former Los Angeles Lakers Norm Nixon when arrested last night for allegedly driving drunk. The two-time NBA All-Star with two championships under his belt was booked and posted $5,000 bail. Nixon played with the Lakers from 1977 to 1983 and is married to actress/dancer Debbie Allen.
Nixon was stopped by the California Highway Patrol around midnight when officers noticed he had no front license plate on his black Ferrari. Officers reportedly smelled alcohol and gave Nixon a series of sobriety tests, which the ex-point guard allegedly failed.
The police refer to these roadside exercises as “tests” to give them an aura of scientific validity. However, these exercises have no scientific grounding. Most police academies will teach versions of these exercises and refer to them as “Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.” But on the side of the road, there is often nothing standardized about the exercises. Every police officer varies in the manner in which he instructs suspects to perform them and how he interprets the suspect’s performance.
Los Angeles DUI Attorney William Weinberg can be contacted about this post.