Getting behind the wheel when you’ve had a drink is just something you don’t do. You needlessly endanger your own life and the lives of others when you could simply get someone else to drive you home, get a cab, or just stay put. Michael Joseph Axelson has eight DUIs under his belt and still hasn’t learned his lesson—but he has apparently been taking gymnastics lessons.
- He was clearly in the wrong. Axelson was pulled over by an officer with the Sterling Heights police in Michigan last month, suspected of driving under the influence. Apparently his driving was erratic, and once he actually got out of the car, so was his behavior.
- It took five attempts for him to get a breathalyzer test done. The 53-year-old met the officer’s attempts to perform a sobriety test by slurring his words, making idle threats, and just being generally belligerent. When he finally got his test done, it was shown that his blood-alcohol level was three times over the legal limit. Yeah, he was hammered.
- Before he could complete the test, he decided to bust out some gymnastics moves. After an officer asked Axelson if he had any issues with his legs, the drunk man decided to try to prove his sobriety by… doing the splits. Frankly, it was kind of impressive.
- The dashcam footage is pretty crazy. Police released the footage of Axelson’s encounter with the officer shortly after the event, and while drunk driving is no laughing matter, everyone was pretty amused by the fact that Axelson was so out of it that he started doing the splits. If he wasn’t putting people’s lives at risk, including his own, and breaking the law, it would probably be pretty hilarious.
- Something tells me this won’t be Axelson’s last arrest. Given that his criminal record for DUIs goes all the way back to 1995 and spans several states, it seems unlikely that he’ll make a change in his behavior. How he hasn’t had his license taken from him is beyond me, but I think that needs to be the next step.