Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
According to the police officers on scene, Jon Jones smelled of marijuana and alcohol, and a gun and shell casing were found in his vehicle.
As you are likely aware by now, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested early Thursday morning in Albuquerque on DWI and firearms charges. The UFC has responded, saying that they are “gathering additional information” on the situation. But if the accounts of the police officers on scene say anything, it’s that Jones is in a very bad situation right now.
Albuquerque Police Department officers Jason Brown and Brian Johnson documented their assessments of the situation, which were released to MMA Junkie. Brown was the first on scene, having been located just up the street from where he heard a gunshot. Jones was parked in front of a bar called The Library, and when officer Brown smelled alcohol emanating from Jones, he called DWI officer Johnson.
Here is Brown’s account of what happened:
“On 3-26-20 at about (12:58 a.m.), I was at 3rd and Central in the parking lot. I heard a single gun shot to the west on Central. I drove west on Central and observed a black Jeep on the south side of the street parked in front of 312 Central. I observed a male in the driver’s seat and a subject on the sidewalk by the passenger side door. I observed no other subjects in the area. I pulled up behind the vehicle and turned on my overhead lights. The vehicle was running. I contacted the driver and asked him to roll down the vehicle windows. I observed an open bottle of alcohol on the floor behind the passenger seat. It was a 1/4 full bottle of Recuerdo, 40 percent alcohol. I asked the driver to hand me the bottle. I also observed that he had green leafy substance on his shirt and pants, consistent with marijuana. I identified the driver as Jonathan Jones. I asked Jones about the gun shot and he stated he did not know. I asked him why he was out and he stated he wanted to go for a drive. I asked him for his vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Jones fumbled with his documents and was not able to locate proof of current insurance. I also observed that Jones had an odor of alcohol coming from his facial area. I requested the assistance of a DWI officer. Officer (Brian) Johnson was working a DWI saturation patrol and responded to my request. After Officer Johnson completed his investigation, he placed Jones under arrest for DWI. I had the vehicle towed from the scene. During an inventory of the vehicle subject to arrest and tow I located a loaded handgun under the drivers seat. I also located a spent round just outside the drivers side door. The spent round was the same caliber as the firearm that was located. A video of my investigation will be uploaded to APD evidence. The handgun was tagged into APD evidence.”
Johnson’s statement overlaps to a degree with Brown’s, but he does provide some additional information:
“I was working DWI saturation and was dispatched to the traffic stop. I made contact with Jonathan Jones. I observed that he had bloodshot, watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his facial region. He admitted to driving earlier and had the intention to drive now. I asked him to exit the vehicle. Jonathan did field sobriety tests and performed poorly on all three of them. He also performed poorly on two out of three alternative tests. He was searched and arrested. He was transported to the (Prisoner Transport Center) where he was read the N.M. implied consent advisory and given the Intoxilyzer 8000 breath test. He was given a deprivation period from (1:02 a.m.) until (1:48 a.m.). Prior to administration of the aforementioned breath test, his mouth was checked at (1:02 a.m.) and found to be clear of any foreign objects. Test results were at or above twice the legal limit. He was checked through (Motor Vehicle Department) and found to have one prior DWI arrest. During the tow inventory of the vehicle, a black handgun was found underneath the driver seat. A 1/2 empty bottle of Recuerdo 750ml was found behind the passenger side of the vehicle. The handgun was tagged into evidence. Jonathan was unable to provide the vehicle’s valid insurance paperwork. He was booked on the listed charges. His vehicle was towed. A copy of the lapel camera was tagged into evidence.”
Jones has been released, and according to MMA Junkie’s article, he is scheduled for a court date on April 8th.