DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County officer had to climb through a sunroof to arrest a former Atlanta football star asleep at the wheel, according to a police report.
Police believe former Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson was drunk during the June 24 arrest, but his attorney claims the report is exaggerated.
A DeKalb County officer said it was around 4 a.m. when he noticed Anderson stopped in the middle lane at a stoplight on Chamblee-Tucker Road near Interstate 85. The officer said the light turned green several times, but Anderson didn't budge.
In the report, the officer said he knocked on Anderson's window and tried to unlock the door because Anderson was passed out. The officer said he eventually had to go through the sunroof to unlock the door. Police said Anderson was still out of it when he was handcuffed.
"I think Jamal is disappointed in the way this is being reported," Anderson's attorney, Mike Hawkins, told Channel 2's Tom Jones.
Hawkins said Anderson was just tired after traveling, visiting family and friends and going to two amusement parks that day.
"So, there's no doubt he was very tired. Whether it's accurate the whole way it was reported, that remains to be seen," Hawkins said.
Hawkins wonders why DUI task force officers weren't called to the scene, "many of whom could have documented this with video and audio. Yet, it wasn't done," he said.
The report also said Anderson refused a Breathylzer test, but his attorney said he just requested for an attorney before taking one.
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WSBTV
