Sheffield Lake police: Choo blew .201 during OVI stop

SHEFFIELD LAKE, Ohio - Police say Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was arrested on Monday in Sheffield Lake and charged with OVI.

Sheffield Lake police said Choo was in a white Cadillac SUV in the area of Ferndale Road and Sheffield Road around 2:25 a.m. when he told officers he was trying to get to Avon Lake, where he lives.

"After officers directed him where to go, Choo pulled away, officers following. When his car started to swerve back and forth, officers pulled him over," Sheffield Lake law director David Graves said.

When Sheffield Lake police pulled Choo over, officers said his eyes were bloodshot and he smelled like alcohol. Choo told police he was trying to get his GPS to work and that he was on his way home.

Officers issued a series of field sobriety tests, which he failed.

“Mr. Choo was advised to touch his nose with his right finger two times. Both times Mr. Choo used his left finger. Mr. Choo was then advised to touch his nose with his left finger. Mr. Choo then used his right finger,” the police report said.

According to the police report, 28-year-old native of South Korea had a blood alcohol level of .201 when he took the breathalyzer test around 3:40 a.m.

"I sincerely apologize to my family, teammates, fans and the Indians' organization for the attention stemming from this matter, however I am hopeful that this incident will not be a distraction to the Indians organization while we remain focused on continuing to play winning baseball. Since this is a legal matter, I look forward to it being resolved within the court system as soon as possible," Choo said, in a statement released by the Indians on Tuesday.

Cleveland Indians general manager Chris Antonetti released the following statement about the incident on Tuesday:

“We are aware of the incident with Shin-Soo Choo and have spoken to him about it. The Indians organization takes these issues very seriously and we are disappointed in the matter. We will continue to monitor the situation and we will not have any further comment at this time."

The police report also noted that there was some damage to the front passenger’s side of Choo’s SUV and that Choo threw his camera in the parking lot.

Choo is scheduled to appear in Sheffield Lake Mayor’s Court on May 5 at 5 p.m.