Road Warrior: Did Police Try to Hide Mel Gibson's Tirade?

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1002914830

By E&P Staff
Published: July 29, 2006 2:30 PM ET

NEW YORK Did police in Malibu, Ca., try to cover up an anti-Semitic tirade, and other actions, by actor Mel Gibson after his arrest for drunk driving on Friday? The fact of his arrest became public quickly enough but what happened next only emerged today.

The New York Daily News opened its story today with: "A blitzed Mel Gibson launched into an obscenity-laced tirade when he was busted on suspicion of drunken driving early yesterday, threatening an officer and making anti-Semitic and sexually abusive remarks, according to a police report."

It seems that the full report was suppressed but four pages of it were leaked to the celebrity Web site tmz.com, which posted them today. The Daily News claims that a mug shot of the actor has also been withheld under orders from the sheriff.

Gibson had been pulled over by Deputy James Mee in the wee hours early Friday for going 80 mph and then tested DUI.

The Daily News picks up the story: "According to the incident report obtained by TMZ.com, the Road Warrior embarked on a belligerent, anti-Semitic outburst when he realized he had been busted. 'F-----g Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,' Mee's report quotes him as saying. 'Are you a Jew?' Gibson asked the deputy, according to the report.

"The actor also berated the deputy, threatening, 'You motherf----r. I'm going to f--- you,' according to Mee's report. The actor also told the cop he 'owns Malibu' and would spend all his money "to get even with me," Mee said in his report.

"TMZ quoted a law enforcement source as saying Gibson noticed a female sergeant on the scene and yelled at her, 'What do you think you're looking at, sugar t--s?'

"Deputy Mee then wrote an eight-page report detailing of the incident, but higher-ups in the sheriff's department felt it was too 'inflammatory' to release and would merely serve to incite 'Jewish hatred,' TMZ said.

"Reached for comment on TMZ's report last night, Deputy Moore said the department would neither deny nor confirm its content. He could offer no explanation for why Mee's report was withheld from reporters."

Gibson's recent film, "ThePassion of Christ" was criticized by some Jewish groups and his father has been accused of being a "Holocaust denier."

The TMZ.com account goes into much greater detail by other belligerent actions by Gibson during his arrest and then at the jail.