A 55-year-old man dressed in a clown suit was arrested for drunk driving after he allegedly failed police sobriety tests.
The man, identified by News 5 Cleveland as David Simon, was replete in a clown costume with a red wig and tail.
The television station ran police dash cam video from the traffic stop. You can see it above. “The reason I’m pulling you over, you hit the curb twice,” the officer says to the clown.
“I know… I did. I’m sorry,” the man dressed as the clown says as he steps out of his pickup. Police told the news station that they thought the stop was “kind of weird” and added that it occurred at 3 a.m. on December 18.
According to the Canton Rep newspaper, Sgt. Brian Muntean, the Massillon Police Department’s spokesman, said, “It’s just proof that all backgrounds and socioeconomic backgrounds commit this offense – including clowns.”
The newspaper said the man was wearing the clown costume because he had been at a party where he allegedly consumed beers.
It’s not the first time a man has been arrested for drunk driving while wearing a clown suit. WIAT said an Alabama man in a clown suit was arrested for DUI after he was spotted allegedly driving erratically. He also had a warrant out for his arrest, according to WIAT.
That arrest occurred last February, a few months before a “creepy clown” craze swept the United States, causing law enforcement authorities to warn people against scaring others purposely by dressing in creepy clown costumes.
The Cleveland television station said the Massillon clown is a repeat offender. Massillon is a community in Ohio located near Akron.