Jon Jones DWI Arrest Video, 'I Got Stir-Crazy, Needed to Drive'

Jon Jones told police he had vodka before getting behind the wheel of his Jeep Thursday morning -- and needed to get out of the house because he was going '"stir-crazy" during the coronavirus pandemic.

It's all on police body cam footage from Jon's DWI arrest in Albuquerque, New Mexico ... with the UFC superstar calmly trying to explain to officers why he drank and then drove.

"I literally just got stir-crazy," Jones said ... "I just wanted to have a drive. This is my first drive in 2 weeks. And, I saw these homeless guys. I was being nice to them, having conversation with them, treating them like humans.”

During the stop, Jon said he has "really bad" short-term memory -- and blamed it on the fact he's a UFC fighter who gets "punched in the head" for a living.

"My short-term memory is really bad."

Jones was given multiple field sobriety tests including balancing, counting and reciting the alphabet. It did not go well. He struggled mightily.

Jones was ultimately arrested and booked for aggravated driving while intoxicated, negligent use of a deadly weapon and possession of an open container.

As we previously reported, cops say he fired a black handgun at some point during the evening -- which is why they were called to the scene in the first place.

Cops say they found a gun and a half-empty bottle of booze in Jon's car while searching the vehicle.

While officers are putting Jon in the car, he's overcome with emotion and begins to weep -- telling the officers, "I'm scared for my family."

At one point, Jon tells one of the officers, "I love you guys so much. I actually wanted to be a police officer when I grew up."