WATCH: Hulk Hogan shows up at son’s DUI arrest in Clearwater
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Newly-released police body camera video shows the moment wrestling legend Hulk Hogan showed up to the scene of his son’s DUI arrest in Clearwater last year.
According to Clearwater police, officers spotted Nicholas Bollea, 33, also known as Nick Hogan, speeding past them after they pulled over another driver on Nov. 18.
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He was placed under arrest after failing field sobriety exercises and later refused a breath alcohol test, police said. Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, arrived to the scene just before his son was placed into a cop car.
The 70-year-old emerged from his pickup truck wearing a shirt with his own face on it and walking with a cane. The body camera video, which was edited and redacted, showed Hogan greet the officers.
“(I’m) good, man. Just checking on my son,” Hogan said.
The officer told Hogan his son was likely too impaired to drive and faced a DUI charge.
“This is crazy. I’m sorry about this,” Hogan said.
Police led Hogan over to a car where his son was sitting in the backseat in handcuffs. They took down his contact information and opened the car door so the two could talk.
“You good, Bubba?” Hogan said as he leaned over the car.
Hogan remained at the scene for several minutes, according to a longer cut of the video. Speaking to an officer, he recounted his night with Nick at his restaurant, where they were judging a bikini contest.
He said he did not recall seeing his son drinking, but figured he must have started after Hogan left for the night.
Clearwater police video also shows what led up to Nick Bollea’s arrest. An officer approached Bollea and his passenger, who he later said was his girlfriend, after pulling him over for a suspected violation of Florida’s Move Over Law.
“You almost ran me over,” the officer said, referring to the earlier traffic stop. “That was me you almost ran over, when you drove right past me.”
Bollea was instructed to step out of his pickup truck. He told the officer he was just leaving the beach and heading home. He said he did not have anything to drink that night, but his passenger did.
The officer told Bollea he could smell alcohol on his breath.
“I’m sorry. I was just kissing my girlfriend,” Bollea said. The officer did not appear to buy his story.
Bollea was shown taking a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) eye test, which he was alleged to have failed, along with other field sobriety tests. Police placed him under arrest for suspicion of DUI. Bollea contemplated refusing the breath test and officer told him that if he chose not to take the test, he would go to jail.
That was when his father, Hulk Hogan, showed up.
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Bollea was sentenced to jail for his role in a 2007 crash that left him and his friend, John Graziano, seriously injured. He was 17 at the time and later pled no contest to a reckless driving charge.
Debra Graziano, John’s mother, provided the following statement to WFLA in response to Bollea’s DUI charge:
The only thing that I have to say is he should be ashamed of himself, knowing that he virtually cost my son his life (for all intents and purposes). He should have been living a life to honor my son by at least never driving recklessly again, and potentially harming someone else. He is a grown man now, and his behavior is disgraceful.
Debra Graziano
Graziano’s family sued both Bollea and Hulk Hogan over his injuries. He was left paralyzed and in need of nursing care for the rest of his life. The lawsuit was settled for $1.5 million.
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