When a DWI Arrest Takes a SWAT Team

 Posted on February 02, 2021 in Uncategorized

Most DWI arrests are pretty tame. A few are not. And when a DWI arrest goes bad, it can go really bad. One early 2021 story illustrates the point.

The media report explains that the driver, a Dallas resident, allegedly fled after Grand Prairie police signaled the driver to stop. Police suspected an intoxicated driver because the vehicle was running on a blown-out tire's wheel rim. The driver allegedly made an escape all the way into Dallas on I-20, where police SWAT vehicles finally hemmed the suspect's vehicle in.

The report continues police closed both sides of the freeway for safety while the SWAT team coaxed the allegedly intoxicated driver to give himself up. Fortunately, the driver climbed cautiously out of his vehicle, avoiding a sure-to-be-deadly gunfire exchange. Video accompanying the story shows two armored vehicles nose-and-tail with the suspect's vehicle, while swarms of fatigue-clad SWAT officers escort the lone suspect into the back of a waiting police vehicle, later to face evading-arrest and DWI charges.

Highway-Arrest Risks

A DWI arrest, indeed any arrest, is a good time to act like a model citizen. The arresting officers are usually armed and necessarily ready for trouble. In making arrests, officers face hidden dangers, like an armed and belligerent driver or another vehicle occupant unwilling to tolerate arrest. Arrest dangers can arise at any moment with no warning, requiring officers to be especially wary.

Officers lose their lives every year making highway arrests, as one Houston officer reportedly did late in 2020. Highway arrests are especially risky to officers and suspects because of vehicle involvement. Vehicles themselves can serve as deadly weapons when used to ram police or their squad cars. That's why the SWAT team in the above story used their armored vehicles to block the suspect's vehicle in.

Better Arrest Behavior

The evading-arrest charges that the allegedly intoxicated driver in the above story reportedly faced are a good reminder that fleeing in a vehicle when police signal to stop is always a bad idea. The above story proves that the risks of flight are more than the criminal charge. The fleeing suspect may face a SWAT team or other heavily armed officers intent on disabling the suspect's vehicle and suspect to protect the public. But not fleeing is only the first good piece of advice when facing a DWI arrest.

Drivers stopped for suspected DWI should keep calm, remain silent except to state required identifying information, and keep one's hands visible on the steering wheel. Read more here about the best actions to take to avoid arrest and before and during an arrest. Above all, protect your own life and the life of other vehicle occupants by taking care to avoid causing an officer to take aggressive protective action. Don't make an already-bad arrest worse.

Get the Best Representation and Advice

DWI Specialist Doug Murphy wants you to know your rights, including the best actions to take around any potential DWI arrest. You should also have 2021 Houston DWI Lawyer of the Year Doug Murphy's expert representation and defense for any DWI and related charges like evading arrest. Read here how Doug Murphy would defend your DWI case and here why you need a DWI Specialist for your defense.

As a Board Certified DWI specialist and one of only two Texas lawyers holding both DWI Board Certification and Criminal Law Certification, Doug Murphy has the experience and expertise to aggressively enforce your rights while defending DWI and related charges. Texas DWI attorney Doug Murphy can also help you manage the collateral consequences of a DWI arrest. Contact Murphy & McKinney Law Firm, P.C. online or at 713-229-8333 to discuss your case today.