Wednesday, 22 August 2007

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Bill Murray refuses breathalyzer test in Sweden

Actor pulled over by police

In what sounds like a scene out of his old movie Caddyshack, Bill Murray was pulled over by police in Sweden while cruising through downtown Stockholm in a golf cart, then refused to take breathalyzer test after police said they smelled alcohol, authorities said Wednesday.

The Lost in Translation Oscar nominee, 56, was stopped early Sunday after police saw him in the slow-moving vehicle. Police then noticed the alcohol smell, Detective-Inspector Christer Holmlund of the Stockholm police tells the Associated Press.

Murray could face a a drunken driving charge for the incident.

"He refused to blow in the [breathalyzer] instrument, citing American legislation," said Holmlund. "So we applied the old method – a blood test. It will take 14 days before the results are in."

In describing Murray's allegedly inebriated state, Holmlund said, "There were no obvious signs, like when someone is really tipsy."

Murray, in Sweden to visit a golf tournament, subsequently signed a statement admitting to driving under the influence and agreed to permit a police officer plead guilty on his behalf should the case go to court, Holmlund said.

"Then he was let go. My guess is he went back to America," according Holmlund, who said Murray would only be charged if tests show his blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit – said to be very low in Sweden.

A high alcohol level could lead to a prison sentence, however, Holmlund considered fines a more likely possibility.

Of the vehicle in question, "It was a golf cart. How it ended up in this predicament I don't know," said Holmlund, adding that Murray was not facing any theft charges.

By Stephen M. Silverman