Tank Johnson Pulled Over for Speeding    

[June 23, 2007]  GILBERT, Ariz.  (AP) -- Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Arizona early Friday and police said they drew blood from the NFL player to determine whether he was drunk.

Johnson already is suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 NFL season after violating probation on a gun violation.

Police in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert said Johnson was stopped for driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone at 3:30 a.m. Friday and the officer made observations that led him to believe Johnson was impaired.

Sgt. Andrew Duncan, a police spokesman, said Johnson was arrested for "DUI Impaired to the Slightest Degree" but was released without being booked or charged.

Duncan said Johnson was taken to the Gilbert police station, where officials drew blood for a blood-alcohol content test before his release. He described Johnson as "very cooperative."

The officer had probable cause to make an arrest, Duncan said. Test results aren't expected for up to two weeks, and they would be sent to Gilbert town prosecutors for consideration of any charges.

"We are aware Tank was pulled over early Friday morning in Arizona," the Chicago Bears said in a statement. "We are currently gathering facts regarding the incident. We will withhold further comment until we have more information."

It was not immediately clear why Johnson was in Arizona although he attended high school in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe.

Earlier this month, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Johnson for half the regular season for violating the league's toughened personal conduct policy.

At the time Johnson, who recently spent two months in the Cook County jail for violating probation, called his suspension an "opportunity for me to move forward."

Goodell said the suspension could be reduced to six games if Johnson has no further involvement with law enforcement and undergoes counseling.

Last December, police raided the 300-pound defensive tackle's suburban Chicago home and found six unregistered firearms _ a violation of his probation on an earlier gun charge.

That charge stemmed from Johnson's 2005 arrest after a Chicago nightclub valet reported seeing Johnson with a handgun in his SUV. He subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

Two days after last December's raid, Willie B. Posey, Johnson's bodyguard, was shot and killed in an early morning fight while he and Johnson were at a Chicago nightclub.

Johnson was suspended by the Bears for one game for being at the club. He played in the Super Bowl as the Bears lost to Indianapolis.

In March, Johnson began his two-month jail stint. Last month, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge stemming from the December raid as part of a deal with prosecutors that kept him from serving more time in jail. He was ordered to serve 45 days, which he served concurrently with the sentence for violating his probation.

[Associated Press]