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Cop feels sorry for Mel
01/08/2006 13:01 - (SA)
Calabasas, California - The sheriff's deputy who arrested Mel Gibson for drunken driving said in an interview that he feels bad for damage to the star's reputation but hopes Gibson thinks twice before drinking and driving.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee said on Monday that he considered it a routine arrest and did not take any comments made by Gibson seriously.
"I don't take pride in hurting Mr Gibson," said Mee, a 17-year deputy. "What I had hoped out of this is that he would think twice before he gets behind the wheel of a car and was drinking.
"That would be my hope that this would accomplish that. I don't want to ruin his career. I don't want to defame him in any way or hurt him."
The first fallout from the arrest may have already come with Monday's announcement by ABC that it had cancelled a planned miniseries about the Holocaust that it was developing with Gibson's Icon Productions.
"Given that it has been nearly two years and we have yet to see the first draft of a script, we have decided to no longer pursue this project with Icon," ABC said.
Network spokesperson Kevin Brockman declined to comment on Monday night on whether the decision was motivated by Gibson's arrest.
Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Department sent prosecutors its case on Monday, including an official police report that includes claims that Gibson made anti-Semitic remarks and threatened a deputy, a law enforcement official said.
The report also claimed that a tequila bottle was found in Gibson's car when he was pulled over.
'Booze talking'
An arrest report signed by Mee and posted on the celebrity news website TMZ quoted Gibson as saying, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the arresting officer, "Are you a Jew?"
Gibson released a lengthy statement on Saturday apologising for saying "despicable" things.
Mee, who is Jewish, would not comment specifically on what Gibson said.
"That stuff is booze talking," the deputy said in an interview outside his home.
In his statement, Gibson said he has struggled with alcoholism and taken steps "to ensure my return to health".
The actor was "participating in an ongoing programme to deal with this", Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob said. "The guy is trying to stay alive."
A tentative arraignment date was set for September 28.
Prominent Hollywood talent agent Ari Emanuel called for an industry boycott of Gibson in a blog posted on Monday.
"At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements," he wrote.
"People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line.
- AP
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South Africa
