Actor Mel Gibson charged with drunk driving

LOS ANGELES, Aug 3 (Reuters) Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson, who touched off a furor with an anti-Semitic rant after being stopped by police on the California coast, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Gibson, an Oscar-winning filmmaker who directed the 2004 blockbuster ''The Passion of the Christ,'' was Yesterday also charged with driving with an open container of alcohol in his car when he was arrested early on Friday.

If convicted, the ''Braveheart'' star could face six months in jail, Los Angeles County prosecutors said. He is free on bail but is set for an arraignment on September. 28 in Malibu.

Representatives for Gibson, who has apologised both for his actions on the night of his arrest and his inflammatory remarks, declined comment.

The misdemeanor charges accuse Gibson of driving with a blood alcohol count above the legal limit of .08 per cent.

The open container accusation apparently refers to a bottle of tequila found in Gibson's car after a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy stopped him for speeding along Pacific Coast Highway.

That police report also cited a drunken, anti-Semitic rant that has prompted calls for Gibson's boycott in Hollywood.

Sheriff's officials have defended themselves against accusations that Gibson was given special treatment because of his fame.

REUTERS VJ RK0505