Former MLB Pitcher Arrested One Day After Graduating Police Academy

A former Major League Baseball pitcher was arrested less than 24 hours after being sworn in as a police officer.

Chasen Bradford, 34, who pitched for the New York Mets (2017) and Seattle Mariners (2018-19) as a reliever in 86 career appearances, was still a probationary officer with the Henderson Police Department in Nevada when he was charged with driving under the influence last Friday (March 22), which resulted in his termination. Bradford's arrest came one day after he was among 14 newly graduated officers sworn in by the police academy last Thursday (March 21).

“On the evening of March 22, 2024, one of those (graduating) officers chose to drink and drive resulting in their arrest by the Henderson Police Department,” Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick said in a statement shared by the department. "This probationary officer was promptly terminated and is no longer a member of the Henderson Police Department."

Bradford was reportedly seen "swerving all over the roads and hitting medians" and "driving up on a curve," when the incident took place at around 10:23 p.m. last Friday, according to an arrest report obtained by News 3 Las Vegas. The former pitcher initially told responding officers that he only had two Coors Light beers before confessing to drinking five to six beers throughout the day and that his last drink was at 10:15 p.m.

Bradford reportedly blew a .104 during the initial field sobriety test, as well as a .094 and .098 during two more attempts at the Henderson Detention Center, all far exceeding Nevada's legal BAC limit of .08. The Las Vegas native appeared in 28 games for the Mets during the 2017 season and 58 games for the Mariners during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, recording a 7-0 record, 3.89 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 104.0 innings pitched during his three-year MLB career.