If you or a loved one have recently been charged with a DUI violation in Downtown Los Angeles, you are not alone. The high traffic nature of Downtown L.A., a place where only 50,000 people reside but to which some 500,000 commute, makes it a "busy" law enforcement zone. When dealing with a DUI case you need quality representation and we at the Law Offices of Ross H. Sobel stand ready to defend you against the very serious charges you are facing.
In the interests of getting you mentally and legally prepared for your upcoming DMV hearing or arraignment, here are the basics of how the DUI process works:
The Downtown Los Angeles DUI Process
After being pulled over on suspicion of DUI, given the Field Sobriety Tests, and possibly also the PAS breath test, the DUI arrest was made and your license was confiscated. In return, you were given a pink, temporary license to use for up to 30 days while waiting for your DMV hearing. However, you do not automatically have a hearing scheduled but must request one from the California DMV with in 10 days or the arrest (or lose the right to do so).
The next stop is at a local police station or possibly the metropolitan detention center which is the local jail, where your blood-alcohol content (BAC) is measured by a blood or other test. The results will typically take a few days to come back from the lab, but if the results are a BAC of .08% or higher, this will be used as evidence against you at the DMV hearing. It will also determine whether or not charges are actually filed against you.
Suspects are typically held over a few hours or more at the jail to ensure they leave sober, but after that, they are informed of their court date (if any) most probably to take place at the Metro Courthouse and released.
At this point, it is crucial to avail yourself of a skilled DUI defense attorney who can argue your case and secure the best possible outcome. The hearing will determine whether your license remains suspended and whether your case is "set aside" or needs to proceed to trial.
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