traffic stop coke snort seattle

Screen shot of video captured via in-car video shows Seattle police officer speaking to a 73-year-old man arrested on drug charges Dec. 1, 2015. The almost got out of a traffic ticket before he took out a vial of cocaine and tried to snort it, Seattle police said. "Are you kidding," the officer asked the man as he tried to brush off the white powder that had spilled on him and the floor.

(Seattle Police Department)

A man's "spotless driving record" could have gotten him out of trouble during a traffic stop this week -- had he not tried to snort cocaine right in front of the Seattle police officer who pulled him over.

Around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, a silver Toyota with its headlights off drove past a police officer patrolling the city's Colman neighborhood, near Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Massachusetts.

The 73-year-old driver, who has not been identified, pulled over and waited while the officer checked his license and registration, according to a posting on the Seattle Police Department's blog. The officer, finding a clean record, was poised to let the man go with a warning until he walked back to find the man "portioning out a scoop of cocaine from a small glass vial."

"Are you kidding?" the officer asked incredulously. "You're about to snort coke by the side of the road?"

The driver initially tried to pass off the white power that spilled all over his hands and car floor as "vitamins," but eventually came clean, police said. He even "complimented" the officer for his keen observation skills, the blog post stated.

The driver then "admitted that snorting cocaine in the middle of a traffic stop was, perhaps, a poor decision."

The driver was arrested and booked into King County Jail on drug charges.

The event inspired Seattle police to put together a public service announcement informing residents of increased patrols this holiday season and what to do (and not) when police pull you over:

Pull over to the right Be prepared to provide license and registration Don't use cocaine, "especially during a traffic stop"

-- Nuran Alteir

nalteir@oregonian.com

503-294-4028

@whatnuransaid