UFC: Jon Jones arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and negligent use of firearms

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones has been arrested on suspicion of DWI (driving while intoxicated) and other offences after officers heard gunshots and found him in a parked car with a handgun and a half-empty bottle of liquor early on Thursday, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said.

The 32-year-old Jones was arrested on suspicion of aggravated DWI, negligent use of firearms, possession of an open container of alcohol and no proof of insurance for a vehicle, police said.

Police said Jones was found in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle with the engine running about 1am (3pm Hong Kong time). Authorities said Jones showed signs of intoxication and a handgun and a half-empty bottle of liquor were in the vehicle.

Bernalillo County jail records indicate Jones was released after being booked. Online court records don’t list an attorney for Jones who could comment on his behalf.

Earlier police reports said they found a half-empty bottle of tequila and a gun in Jones’ car, and that he blew double the legal limit of .08 on a sobriety test. The police were responding to a call about shots being fired while the state of New Mexico is under a “stay at home” order because of the coronavirus.

In 2019, Jones was charged with battery and went months without knowing he was charged. That case was ultimately resolved in a plea deal where Jones pleaded no contest and served no time.

Jones has been convicted in two previous driving cases: a 2012 New York DWI and a 2015 New Mexico hit-and-run.

After the 2015 case, Jones was stripped of his UFC title and suspended for six months. He had tested positive for cocaine before that suspension, and for performance-enhancing drugs several times since. He had titles stripped and served year-long suspensions for those tests in 2016 and 2017.

In the 2019 battery case that was ultimately pleaded down to no contest, Jones was charged with slapping a waitress in a strip club. He was there with his brother, Cardinals All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones.

Jones (26-1) retained his title after beating Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision at UFC 247 in February. Jones is widely considered one of the best MMA fighters of all time, although his career and rivalry with former double champion Daniel Cormier has repeatedly been put on hold by his legal problems and failed drug tests.