72-year-old man arrested in Seattle for trying to snort cocaine during a traffic stop

The man claimed he was actually taking 'vitamins', but later admitted he was trying to snort cocaine, police said

A dashcam video captured the surprised officer asking the man: 'Are you kidding? You're about to snort coke on the side of the road?' (EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images)

An elderly man who was pulled over for driving without headlights made things much worse for himself after he allegedly tried to snort cocaine in the middle of the traffic stop, police say.

The unnamed 72-year-old man was pulled over by police at around 8:30pm on 2 December in Seattle's city centre after police officer Nic Abts-Olsen spotted he was driving without his lights on.

The officer pulled his car over and told him his lights were off, later going back to his police car to check the man's driving license.

He walked back to the man's car and arrived just in time to see him pouring out cocaine from a small glass bottle.

As the Seattle Times reported, the officer knocked on the man's window and startled him, forcing him to spill the cocaine everywhere.

In a video recorded by the police car's dashcam, Abts-Olsen's surprised reaction can be heard.

"Are you kidding?" he says.

"You're about to snort coke on the side of the road?"

The video later cuts to a shot of the man handcuffed in front of the police car, with the confused officer continuing to ask the man what he was doing.

"What would possess you to do that on a traffic stop with a police officer right behind you? I don't understand!"

Throughout the encounter, the man claimed the powder was actually "vitamins", and denied taking cocaine. He later admitted to using the drug, police said.

Seattle Police added that the officer intended to let the man off with a warning, but decided to arrest him on suspicion of drug possession after discovering the cocaine.

The man was later booked into King County Jail while police investigated.