Malibu actor Michael Madsen was arrested in Malibu Wednesday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Madsen was driving a Pontiac GTO with red flames painted on it when he was pulled over at 2:50 p.m. for driving erratically on Pacific Coast Highway at John Tyler Drive, said Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
A preliminary breathalyzer test determined that Madsen had a blood alcohol level of .21 percent, more than double the legal limit of .08, Whitmore said. The 55-year-old Madsen was taken to the sheriff's Malibu-Lost Hills Station.
He was being booked when he complained of a medical problem and was taken to a hospital where doctors determined he had a problem and was held, Whitmore said. Bail was set at $15,000 but deputies decided to "cite him and release him because he's not a flight risk and it's a misdemeanor,'' Whitmore said.
"We know where he lives,'' Whitmore said. Madsen's attorney Perry Wander told the entertainment news website TMZ that Madsen did not fail the field sobriety test and the "breathalyzer test is flawed.''
Madsen is best known for his roles as the sadistic killer, Mr. Blonde in the 1992 crime drama "Reservoir Dogs'' and the father in the 1993 family drama "Free Willy.''
Madsen in March to a misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license. He was ordered to serve 12 months probation and pay a $300 fine plus penalty assessments in the driver's license case.
