Actor Lou Diamond Phillips was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Portland overnight and taken to the San Patricio County County Jail. He was released Friday morning on a $2,500 bond.
Before Phillips spoke at the Voices of South Texas event at Heritage Park Friday evening, 3News got an exclusive interview with the "La Bamba" star about what happened.
"First thing’s first, I want to sincerely apologize for an incident this morning. Some of you may have heard about that,” Phillips said.
According to police, the actor was arrested and charged with a Class A misdemeanor after failing several field sobriety tests and blowing a .20 during a breathalyzer, two times the legal limit.
"It was a lapse in judgment. Obviously, I did not think I was in that state because I approached the cop. I thought I was fine. He thought otherwise," Phillips said.
Phillips, an alum of Flour Bluff High School, expressed how proud he is to see how the city has changed.
"One of the things that I'm so happy about coming back to Corpus Christi is the diversity of this city," Phillips said.
The crowds of fans still cheered and supported Phillips despite the DWI drama. Still, Phillips wanted to make it clear that this was not quite the hometown visit he had planned.
"It was a mistake. It was stupid of me. I regret it, and it will never happen again," Phillips said.