Articles Posted in DWI

In July 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for a Los Angeles DUI. His subsequent rant at a Malibu police station sparked outrage from many quarters due to its sexist, anti-Semitic, and generally ridiculous nature. On Saturday, May 30th, actor Brad Pitt revived those bad memories for Gibson at Spike TV’s Guys Choice Awards, while accepting a “Guys Hall of Fame” award for his 1999 movie, Fight Club. Had Gibson hired a top notch Los Angeles DUI defense attorney, he might not have been convicted of his Southern California driving under the influence charge.

As Pitt received his award from Gibson, he grinned at his counterpart and said “thanks, sugar t**s!” — a clear reference to a widely publicized sexist remark Gibson made to a female sergeant at the Malibu police station, where he was remanded following his drunk driving escapade.

Slip of the Tongue?

For weeks following Gibson’s rant, his “sugar t**s” remark served as fodder for blogs and talk shows. On top of the actor’s harassing comments, he also allegedly made drunken remarks claiming that Jews had been responsible for all the world’s major wars. The anti-Semitic comment earned him ire from Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League. At the time, speculation abounded about whether Gibson’s drunkenness could have explained his paranoid comments about Jews and saucy remarks to the sergeant.

While research has shown that people arrested for drunk driving in Southern California can behave abnormally and defensively; behavioral psychologists have disputed Gibson’s defense that his perverse comments were “caused” by alcohol alone.

In any event, Pitt’s playful decision to reopen the can of worms that was Gibson’s Southern California DUI may or may not have sat well with the actor/director responsible for films like Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, and Apocalypto. But it certainly entertained the Spike crowd and kept the tabloids busy.

The more serious lesson here is that getting arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles can lead to long-term problems, particularly if the defendant does not handle himself or herself with grace and care.

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Lori Petty, an actress best known for her roles opposite Keanu Reaves in “Point Break” and opposite Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own,” was arrested for felony Los Angeles DUI on Saturday, after she plowed into a 14-year-old skateboarder in Venice Beach. Hitting a pedestrian while driving under the influence in Los Angeles automatically constitutes a felony charge.

According to an AP report, Petty had been zipping through the nearly empty streets of the beach town, when she sideswiped the boarder. The police arrested Petty at around 9:30 p.m. and took her into custody at a Van Nuys jail. Petty spent five hours at the station before securing her release with a hefty bail of $100,000.

For someone in Petty’s position, hiring a top notch Southern California DUI attorney could prove crucial. Without a great defense, she could face severe penalties, even prison time.

When news of Petty’s arrest first broke, celebrity gossip sites buzzed with reports that the incident had been more serious than it turned out to be. The young skateboarder was treated at the scene for minor cuts and bruises; Petty escaped physically unharmed.

According to a Los Angeles police spokesman, Petty was not carrying proof of insurance in her car. It’s unclear whether the accident caused any property damage. It’s also unclear whether Petty was, indeed, legally intoxicated at the time of her arrest: her toxicology reports have not yet been released to the public.

This Southern California DUI arrest could not have come at a less opportune time for the 45-year-old actress, who, after starring in several major films in the 1990s, had been mounting something of a career revival by making guest appearances on TV dramas like House and Prison Break.

A felony Los Angeles DUI charge can be quite serious. If convicted, a defendant can face significant jail time, steep fines, driver’s license suspension, and other punishments. To make your best defense, you must anticipate the prosecution’s charges and prepare accordingly.

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