Charged with Resisting Arrest?

Resisting arrest is a common charge that is filed against those who law enforcement claim resisted the arrest in any way.  This can be a minor resistance, such as arguing and then pulling your hands away from the handcuffs when being arrested or other action that causes law enforcement to decide that you are attempting to resist arrest.  If you or a loved one has been charged with this crime, it is vital to get legal representation from a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer to assist you in dealing with the charge as well as any other charge filed against you at that time.  At the California Justice Law Group, the legal team has successfully gotten "resisting arrest" charges dropped on countless occasions for clients in the Los Angeles area.

 

When an individual is pulled over under suspicion of drunk driving, and if the individual involved begins to argue with police or act in any way other than quiet and obedient, it is not uncommon for the officer to add "resisting arrest" to the DUI charges filed at the time.  As a resident or visitor to Los Angeles, it is important to know that almost any action you take that appears to be resistance to an arrest will result in that charge being part of the criminal case against you.   This charge has its own fines and penalties, including up to 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine.  If the incident included the use of a firearm or other weapon, or included a police chase, your penalty will be far more severe, for example you may be going to state prison on the charge.  

 

In order to be charged with this offense, the accused must have knowledge that the officer involved is a law enforcement officer; just a hesitation to respond to orders from a law enforcement officer has been found to be not enough of situation to warrant a charge of "resisting arrest".  Each case of this crime has different circumstances and details and must be fully reviewed by the criminal defense lawyer from the California Justice Law Group immediately after the arrest.  In many cases, the attorney can fight to have these charges dropped or reduced, based on what actually occurred, who was involved and how the so-called resistance occurred.  The legal team is prepared to aggressively fight on behalf of clients charged with this crime in the L.A. area.