Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps Jr. was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after city police say he crashed a pickup into a parked trailer Saturday night on his street in Mt. Washington.
Police said Lipps, 59, had trouble speaking and standing at the crash scene and declined to take standard field sobriety tests because, he said, he would fall.
A breath test more than an hour later found Lipps had a blood alcohol level of 0.235%, nearly three times the legal limit to drive of 0.08%, police said in a criminal complaint.
Lipps’ arrest occurred about a week before he is to be inducted into the Steelers’ 2021 Hall of Honor class at Heinz Field on Nov. 14. His inclusion in the class was announced in July. The Steelers organization could not be immediately reached for comment.
Lipps, a first-round pick in 1984, never appeared in a Super Bowl, but he was one of the NFL’s most dynamic receivers and punt returners with the Steelers from 1984 to 1991. He spent the 1992 season with New Orleans.
Police responded to the crash on Ruth Street shortly before 11 p.m. An officer found Lipps behind the wheel and his wife, Leah Lipps, in the front passenger seat, the complaint said.
The trailer was legally parked on the street, police said. Its owner was inside his home at the time.
In the criminal complaint, an officer said Lipps’ eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy. Asked where he was going, police said Lipps, who lives on Ruth Street, said, “I’m going right down the street.”
The officer could smell signs of “an (intoxicating) beverage” coming from Lipps’ breath as Lipps continued to explain what happened, stuttering and slurring his words, the complaint said.
When the officer asked Lipps to turn off the pickup’s engine, Lipps said, “It is off.” He turned it off after the officer advised him it was still on, the complaint states.
When the officer asked Lipps to hand over the keys, police said Lipps turned the engine on and then off again.
Asked again what happened and how he hit the trailer, Lipps said, “I hit the trailer?” the complaint said.
When asked to step out of his vehicle for sobriety tests, police said, Lipps nearly fell and officers had to catch him. Because he was swaying and staggering while walking, officers escorted him to the side of his vehicle, the complaint said.
Asked how much he had to drink, police said, Lipps responded, “A lot.” Asked whether he would perform the sobriety tests, Lipps said, “I’m going to fall, so no.”
After being taken to a police station where the breath test was performed with Lipps’ consent shortly after midnight, Lipps was taken to the Allegheny County Jail because he was not able to provide a sober party to pick him up.
Lipps’ pickup, which was moderately damaged, was towed from the scene because Leah Lipps also was intoxicated, police said. She was not charged with anything.
No attorney was listed for Louis Lipps in court records.
Lipps was arraigned on two misdemeanor DUI charges Sunday morning and released. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 22, according to court records.
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