Miguel Cabrera Swigs Scotch From His Car in Front of Officers, Arrested on DUI Charges in Florida

This isn't the way Tigers fans wanted to kick off the 2011 season.

Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera was arrested late Wednesday on drunken driving charges in Florida, according to police.

The 27-year-old first baseman, who has battled drinking problems in the past, was spotted in a car that's engine was smoking alongside a road in Fort Pierce, Fla. A deputy approached the vehicle and noticed that Cabrera smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech. As if that wasn't an obvious enough sign of being under the influence, Cabrera then took a swig of scotch in front of the deputy.

To make matters worse, he then refused to cooperate and asked officers: "Do you know who I am? You don't know anything about my problems," according to the police report, which also stated that he was wandering around in the road with his hands up before being detained.

More deputies had to be called to the scene when he began cursing at officers who tried to get him into a patrol car. One officer used physical force to get him into the car by kneeing him in the thigh several times after Cabrera pushed him. The five-time All-Star refused to take a breathalyzer test and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting an officer without violence.

After posting a $1,350 bond, he was released from jail early Thursday.

This wasn't the first time that alcohol has landed the slugger in the slammer. In 2009, Miggy got into a fight with his wife after a night of drinking. He had a 0.26 blood-alcohol level and was picked up at the station by general manager Dave Dombrowski, just hours before the Tigers would go on to lose the American League Central Division title to the Twins.

There were no charges filed from the 2009 incident and Cabrera told reporters last spring training that he was done drinking.