Legless man refuses to get out of car during DUI arrest

State troopers this weekend arrested a 300-pound double amputee on suspicion of drunken driving after the legless man refused to get out of his car, forcing troopers to call for reinforcements.

The 34-year-old Seattle man, who had lost both of his lower legs to gunshot wounds, was pulled over on northbound Interstate 5 near the Roanoke exit on Saturday by a trooper who said the man was speeding and changing lanes erratically, according to the State Patrol.

The man, who was driving a vehicle with hand controls, told the trooper he had been to a party where he sat in his car and drank, police said.

The man, who is not being named because charges have not been filed against him, blew more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 when given a breath test, police said.

When the trooper tried to arrest the man, the man refused to get out of his car, said patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill.

"He was using what we call passive resistance," Merrill said.

The man reportedly told the officer that he could get out on his own using a wheelchair but had left his wheelchair at home.

When he was provided with a wheelchair by the Fire Department, he still refused to get out and became belligerent, Merrill said.

Members of the man's family, including his mother, who said her son had been on a drinking binge since his father's death, were called but left after he refused to cooperate.

Finally, more troopers and officers with the Seattle Police Department arrived and they hauled him out of the car, Merrill said.

The man, who has a criminal history that includes robbery and assault, began spitting on officers, police said. It was not clear how or when the man had been shot in the legs.

He was muzzled, tied to a stretcher, and taken to Harborview Medical Center for a blood draw.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com