‘It smells like a dispensary in your car’: Video shows Canadian NBA player Dillon Brooks’ arrest in Arizona

Police body cam footage shows Canadian NBA player Dillon Brooks undergoing sobriety tests before being arrested.

Newly released police video shows the moment an Arizona officer told Mississauga-born NBA player Dillon Brooks that his luxury vehicle “smells like a dispensary,” before arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The nearly hour-long body camera video provided to CTV News Toronto by the Scottsdale Police Department captures Brooks being pulled over early Friday morning, questioned about marijuana use, put through field sobriety tests and ultimately taken into custody.

Police say the Phoenix Suns forward had failed to maintain his lane multiple times before the stop.

‘It smells quite heavily’

The encounter begins with an officer stopping Brooks on Scottsdale Road after observing what he described as repeated lane violations.

“You failed to maintain your lane six different times… and then, to be honest with you, it smells like a dispensary in your car,” the officer tells Brooks in the video. “So, when was the last time you smoked marijuana? … Do you have marijuana in the car? Is that why it smells that way?”

Brooks denies that he consumed any cannabis, and adds that the last time he consumed anything of that nature was six months ago.

Still, the officer doubles down, uttering: “It smells quite heavily of the presence of marijuana. That’s why I’m asking.”

Police previously said officers stopped Brooks shortly after 1 a.m. near Scottsdale Road, south of Thunderbird Road, after observing traffic violations.

At one point during the stop, Brooks asks the officer whether there is video evidence of the alleged driving behaviour.

“Is there going to be footage of me, like, moving in and out of the lane six times?” he asks.

Field sobriety tests

Later on, the video shows the officer conducting several standardized field sobriety tests.

At one stage, the officer instructs Brooks on a walk-and-turn test.

Brooks is also asked to perform other assessments, including an eye-tracking test, a timed counting test with his eyes closed and a one-leg stand.

During the interaction, Brooks mentions he recently had surgery on his hand. When he is eventually handcuffed, officers place the cuffs in front of his body to accommodate a hand injury.

Brooks is in his 9th NBA season. He has recently been out of the lineup after undergoing surgery on a broken hand last week.

Arrest and accusations

Later in the stop, the officer accuses Brooks of being dishonest about marijuana use.

“All right, so why are you lying about how much marijuana you’ve consumed in the last six months?” the officer asks. “You definitely consumed marijuana tonight.”

Brooks responds at one point: “You’re telling me I did, I told you I didn’t.”

He is then told he is being taken into custody.

“Okay. Put your hands behind your back. You’re going to be placed under arrest tonight for the suspicion of driving under the influence,” the officer says.

The officer later explains that Brooks will be taken to jail and that blood samples will be requested as part of the investigation.

“You’re going to be with me for about an hour and a half to two hours, okay. There’s no cost to get out of jail. I will be asking for two samples of blood.”

Processing at jail

During the drive and booking process, Brooks questions the arrest and asks whether it will count as a DUI.

Officers explain that Arizona DUI investigations can involve drugs as well as alcohol and say the decision is based on what they describe as the “totality of the circumstances,” including the lane violations, the smell of marijuana and Brooks’ performance during the tests.

Police have said Brooks was transported to Scottsdale City Jail and released after the booking process was completed.

CP24 has reached out for comment from the agency representing Brooks but has not heard back at this time.

In addition, no charges have been officially determined by the city prosecutor’s office.