HOLLYWOOD - Troubled actor Mel Gibson's arrest last Friday was the result of a "death wish," according to press reports.
Gibson was caught by police on suspicion of driving under the influence after speeding and reportedly crossing lanes in Malibu, California.
The star's publicist, Alan Nero, announced yesterday that Gibson had checked himself into rehab and "is fighting for his life."
A source close to the Oscar winner tells veteran L.A. Weekly reporter Nikki Finke that Gibson "was really on the verge of suicide because he felt he was helpless to alcohol and didn't know what to do about it. That's why he was driving around 90 miles an hour. This was a death wish.
"If that cop hadn't stopped him, this guy was going to be wrapped around a pole. This is such a bigger issue than 'Will he work again?'
"This is about his not wanting to live anymore. I've seen what he's gone through and what he's going through. You have to understand the disease of alcoholism.
"He was back in it. There's no doubt in my mind he was trying to kill himself that night."
Gibson has come under fire for allegedly making anti-Semitic statements at the time of his arrest and has since issued an apology for his "despicable" behavior.
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