Breaking News
Tony La Russa has been charged with DUI stemming from a February incident … where he allegedly crashed his car in Phoenix and was “argumentative” with police.
The 76-year-old — who was just hired to manage the Chicago White Sox — allegedly hit a curb just before midnight on Feb. 24 … which apparently wrecked his tire.
Cops were called to the scene and found La Russa standing next to his SUV … which was still smoking, according to court docs obtained by ESPN.
La Russa reportedly smelled like alcohol — and told the responding officer he had recently left a dinner with some old pals with the Los Angeles Angels.
According to the report, La Russa told the officer his tire had blown out — but the cop didn’t exactly believe Tony’s story and conducted a field sobriety test.
La Russa was “argumentative” — and refused to take a breathalyzer or willingly offer a blood sample to measure his blood alcohol level, according to the court docs.
Now, prosecutors are moving forward with DUI charges and if convicted, he could face jail time … though it’s unlikely in this particular case.
La Russa has a previous DUI conviction stemming from a 2007 incident in Jupiter, Florida … but since it’s been more than 7 years, it wouldn’t be a factor in his current DUI case, under Arizona law.
As for the Sox, which hired La Russa just 2 weeks ago, a team spokesperson said the organization was aware of the incident prior to hiring him as manager.