HALIFAX -- Former provincial politician Trevor Zinck was belligerent and resistant when he was pulled over for a breathalyzer test, two Halifax police officers testified Friday.

Const. Dan Kavanaugh told provincial court he stopped Zinck's car in a Dartmouth parking lot on Oct. 2, 2013, after receiving a report of a possible impaired driver.

Kavanaugh said Zinck, who has pleaded not guilty to impaired driving, initially agreed to the breathalyzer but became increasingly unco-operative and began cursing and shouting, asking the police if they knew who he was.

A phone Zinck was holding had to be wrestled away and Zinck had to be placed in handcuffs before officers could administer the breathalyzer, Kavanaugh said.

He said Zinck gave two additional breath samples at a police station, both of which were over the legal limit.

Sgt. Andrew Matthews also testified, saying he was in the area on another matter when he heard the impaired driving call and went to provide backup for Kavanaugh.

Matthews said when he spoke to Zinck, he noticed a smell of alcohol coming from inside the car.

He said when Zinck was brought to the police cruiser for a breath test, his behaviour escalated.

"He became belligerent," Matthews said. "His language became progressively more foul. He asked me for my name and mentioned that he knew people and that he was going to report my name to them."

Matthews said Zinck was passively resistant, clutching a cellphone and holding his limbs tight to his body. Handcuffs were used partly out of concern for their own safety, Matthews said.

"Clenching can turn into flailing quite quickly sometimes, when alcohol's involved."

Earlier in the trial, an employee of Beazley Bowling lanes in Dartmouth told the court that Zinck and another man drank 26 beers between them at the bowling alley before leaving in a vehicle.

Zinck represented Dartmouth North from June 2006 to June 2013.