Gibson charged with drink driving

Actor Mel Gibson was charged tonight with drunken driving, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and having an open container of liquor in his car.

The three counts were filed by Los Angeles County prosecutors five days after Gibson was pulled over on Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway for speeding and unleashed an anti-Semitic rant at the arresting officer.

The open container charge, for a bottle of tequila allegedly found in his car, is a violation of the vehicle code.

The charges did not mention Gibson’s self-described “belligerent behaviour” toward the officer or any allegation of speeding. Arraignment was set for September 28 in Malibu Superior Court.

If convicted, Gibson faces up to six months in jail, the district attorney’s office said.