Dash-cam footage reveals examination of DUI suspect Derek Lowe

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dash-cam videotape obtained Tuesday of Derek Lowe's April 28 DUI arrest appears to show Georgia State Patrol troopers at times baiting and badgering the Braves pitcher, who repeatedly denies speeding or drinking.

"Once you say you play baseball, you're already guilty," said the 37-year-old when asked by a trooper what he did for a living. At various points, Lowe is surrounded by up to three officers after he was pulled over on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, two blocks from his home.

"I don't know Derek Lowe," one trooper responds. "I don't care nothing about baseball."

DUI and reckless-driving charges were dropped late last month after City of Atlanta Solicitor Raines Carter reviewed the evidence, including the dash-cam video.

The pitcher's attorney, Bubba Head, said after the dismissal that his client performed "remarkably well" during a field sobriety test, though the footage seems to contradict that claim.

Lowe was arrested after taking the test and refusing, for a second time, to submit to a breathalyzer exam.

The video begins with the trooper following two cars that can be seen speeding by on the dash-cam. They are identified by the trooper as an Aston Martin and Camaro; Lowe drives a 2011 Porsche Panamera.

The Camaro was pulled over in tandem with Lowe's vehicle. The Camaro driver admits to racing, though it's unclear if he identified Lowe's car as his competitor. He was eventually let go by another trooper, who is overheard saying, "Your honesty has gone a long way tonight."

Lowe, meanwhile, steadfastly denies racing.

"Who am I trying to race?" he said. "Why would I want to race anybody? I live two blocks from here."

The trooper remains adamant that Lowe was speeding, saying, "Do you want to start telling the truth now or do you want to keep lying to me?"

When the conversation turns to Lowe's profession, the 15-year major league veteran is obviously reluctant to bring it up.

"What position do you play?" asks one of the troopers. Lowe responds and repeats his name.

"I thought you said you played [golf] with Derek Lowe tonight?"

In the incident report the trooper describes Lowe as "confused" and "nervous" and said his speech was "thick and slurred at times throughout the encounter."

Referring to the conversation about the Braves, the trooper writes, "Mr. Lowe made statements that did not make any sense," a conclusion not supported by the dash-cam footage.

Lowe, the highest-paid member of the 2011 Braves, issued a carefully worded apology the day after his arrest.