Watch The Chase star lash out at police as bodycam footage of his arrest is released
This video footage shows the shocking moment a TV star lashed out at police while being arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman just days earlier.
New police bodycam footage has revealed the arrest of The Chase star Andrew O'Keefe for a “frightening and degrading” assault.
The Australian TV host, also known for Deal or No Deal Down Under, dodged a jail sentence despite being convicted of “kicking and spitting” at a woman. O'Keefe was found guilty of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of possessing prohibited drugs, and violating an apprehended violence order.
He was arrested at an apartment in Sydney following allegations that he assaulted a woman days prior in September 2021. He has since been sentenced and is appealing the convictions. Australian TV station Nine News Sydney aired the police bodycam footage of his arrest.
In the footage, O'Keefe said: “This is what happens when I don’t have my medication. This is a simple request. Why are you being f***ing Nazis about it? Why would I calm down when you’re doing this to me?”
Officers told O'Keefe that his “attitude is not making things any better,” to which he yelled back: “Attitude? F*** you man, this is not attitude. This is justifiable and righteousness rage about the way I’m being treated. Stop telling me to calm down.”
As he's placed in the police car, O'Keefe added: “Just for the sake of the camera, you will note that at every other time when they're sticking my head against the wall and cuffing me, I've been very calm.” He was later cleared of resisting arrest.
In January, O'Keefe was found guilty of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, drug possession, and breaching an Apprehended Violence Order. The former host of Dragons Den Australia was convicted by a Sydney magistrate at Downing Centre Local Court for battering a woman during the September 2021 incident.
The court heard that O'Keefe suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar affective disorder, requiring daily medication. He was also found guilty of possessing two illegal substances found in his flat during his arrest, resulting in an $800 fine.
O'Keefe has been a household name in Australian TV for more than 20 years, first gaining fame on Big Bite on Channel Seven in 2003 before becoming the host of Deal or No Deal that same year. O'Keefe also hosted Weekend Sunrise for 12 years and began presenting The Chase Australia in 2015. He has four children with his ex-wife Eleanor; they divorced in 2019 after separating in 2017.