Mug Shot of the Day: CSI: NY Star Carmine Giovinazzo Arrested for DUI

Actor is taken into custody in Arizona for alleged drunk driving

By Josh Grossberg Jan 30, 2013 9:39 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Carmine Giovinazzo may play a cop on TV, but he's run afoul of the law in real life.

The CSI: NY star was collared for a DUI in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 21.

Per the police report obtained by E! News, the 39-year-old Giovinazzo was behind the wheel of a white Jeep Wrangler with two other passengers when police responded to a call about an impaired driver. After observing him drifting across three lanes, a cruiser pulled him over.

According to the arresting officer's report, Carmine was "immediately apologetic" and told him the reason he'd been driving erratically was because he was lost and fiddling with the GPS. However, after the officer noted the smell of alcohol, Giovinazzo's watery bloodshot eyes, and his slurred speech, the thesp copped to having downed one or two scotches after having just come with his friends from the W Hotel.

He was given a field sobriety test and a Breathalyzer, blowing a 0.119 percent, well above the state's legal limit of 0.08 percent. Giovinazzo was subsequently taken into custody for driving under the influence and booked into a nearby jail after having his blood drawn. The Jeep, which belonged to his pal, was also impounded.

The arresting officer noted in the report that the actor, who plays Detective Danny Messer on the hit CBS police drama, complied with all his requests and "thanked me many times for not treating him like a criminal and showing him respect."

"Carmine was very polite and cooperative with me throughout the investigation," wrote the officer.

Given he knows a thing or two about police procedurals, we're not surprised.

Giovinazzo, who lives in California, was later issued a citation and released around 4:30 a.m. on a signed promise that he would return to appear in court.

No word yet on a hearing date.