Newly released dashcam footage has shed more light on the night pop star Britney Spears was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in California.
The video, obtained by American media outlets, shows officers from the California Highway Patrol pulling Spears over after receiving reports of an erratic driver on the US-101 freeway in Ventura County.
In the footage, an officer repeatedly asks Spears to step out of her vehicle after claiming to smell alcohol coming from inside the car.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I do smell alcohol coming from your car, okay?” the officer tells Spears in the footage.
“That’s why I want you to step out and that way I can ask you some questions and conduct a DUI investigation. If I feel like you’re okay, then I’ll get you out of here, okay?”
According to reports, later in the interaction, when officers suggest moving somewhere more private, the footage shows Spears responding.
“You can come to my house. I’ll make you food and lasagna, or whatever you want. I have a pool. My babies are coming to my house tonight supposedly.”
While being transported for a blood test, Spears continues to maintain that she was not impaired.
“I wasn’t even drinking. I had a mimosa this morning. You guys are lying,” she says in the video.
The newly released footage comes months after the singer was arrested in March, following reports that a black BMW was being driven erratically at high speed on the freeway.
According to police records released alongside the video, officers reported smelling alcohol inside the vehicle when they approached Spears.
The report also noted that her eyes appeared red and watery, her speech was slurred and her balance appeared unsteady.
Spears later avoided jail time after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving involving alcohol, commonly known in California as a “wet reckless” offence.
Following the incident, a representative for the singer described the arrest as “an unfortunate incident” and said Spears intended to cooperate with authorities moving forward.
As part of her sentence, she was ordered to complete a three-month alcohol education programme, including regular sessions with mental health professionals.
She later checked into rehab following the arrest.
