Generally speaking, driving late at night on a college campus in a vehicle with a broken taillight is a surefire way to make yourself the subject of a traffic stop and possibly a DWI if you have been out enjoying a few adult beverages with friends. This is especially true on Friday and Saturday nights. Then you end up getting taken to the police station, booked and placed in the drunk tank until a sober friend can gather enough money to post your bond. Even if you have not been drinking, getting pulled over by a police officer on a college campus is a nerve-wracking experience. So, when University of Central Arkansas junior Blayk Puckett got behind the wheel of his car on campus late last Friday night he was admittedly nervous. He had not been drinking, but he did have a taillight out. Sure enough, he got pulled over. However, his story had quite a different ending than most such stops and even better, the whole thing was captured on video.
He explained how he was driving home from studying late at the library when he noticed a cop pulled up behind him as he approached a stoplight.
“As soon as I got to the stoplight and had to brake I knew I was going to get pulled over,” Puckett told a local news affiliate.
“A lot of times, especially around a college campus, the later in the night it gets the slower they go and especially if they almost hit a curb once it’s a typical indication they might be impaired,” Sgt. Keith McKay told a local reporter. Broken taillights are another common reason officers stop someone to see if they may be drunk.
Like clockwork, Sgt. McKay initiated the traffic stop, but then he says he got his first indication that things might get a little weird. The license plate he called in read “JUGGLER.”
Sgt. McKay then approached the vehicle and it got even stranger from there. Puckett says the cop asked him the usual questions and then asked what was in his pocket, to which he says he replied, “This is going to sound weird, but I’m a magician.”
By this time Sgt. McKay said it was clear that Puckett was not drunk or impaired, so he decided to have a little fun with him.
Sgt. McKay said, “Hey listen you’re good to go but you’re a magician can I please see some magic?”
Puckett didn’t even miss a beat and said not only could he perform magic tricks, but that he would juggle for the officer — thinking that would surely prove he was not drunk if the cop had any lingering concerns.
“I knew I could prove I hadn’t been drinking – especially with juggling clubs in the back seat,” Puckett said. “It’s just more fun when you can juggle and have more fun with the officers than a standard traffic stop that’s boring and scary.”
Puckett then got out of the car and performed a full routine for the officer, who later said it was possibly the most entertaining traffic encounter he ever had. Sgt. McKay was so impressed he even let Puckett off with a warning.
WATCH:
[image via screengrab]