San Pedro DUI Attorney

All San Pedro DUI cases are sent to the Long Beach Court for appearances. A typical DUI arrest in San Pedro involves the LAPD harbor division, CHP or one of the many military police agencies that patrol various bases and governmental installations in the harbor area. Persons arrested for drunk driving are usually transported to the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor station off the 110 freeway. Once there an arrestee is given the opportunity to take either a blood or breath test to determine blood alcohol levels. If drugs are suspected, the officer may request that a urine test be taken in addition to the standard breath machine. Thereafter the individual is booked (fingerprinted and photographed) and held for a number of hours for detox. Bail is often set or the watch commander can authorize a release on the person's own recognizance. Upon release all property taken is returned and a DMV notice of suspension is served on the driver notifying him or her of the requirement to request a DMV hearing to save their drivers license. All DUI charges in San Pedro are referred to the Superior Court in Long Beach for criminal prosecution. As a DUI Lawyer in San Pedro I have defended well over 2000 cases in the last 15 years.

With regard to criminal charges, some of the common offenses that come from the San Pedro California area include drug possession, public intoxication, theft (both petty and grand), shoplifting, reckless driving, gang allegations, vandalism, felony and misdemeanor classes of crimes, among many others. Matthew Ruff is a San Pedro based criminal defense lawyer that is local to the area and knows the judicial system from the inside out.

With well over 2000 criminal cases under his belt, there are not too many situations Mr. Ruff has not seen in his career. The most important thing to look for in a criminal defense attorney is a wealth of experience handling a variety of cases from vehicle code offenses to homicide charges, he has handled them all. As a local San Pedro criminal lawyer he is in Court virtually every day representing his clients from the wrath of the government. Having a defender like him on your side can make the difference between incarceration and freedom, or the loss of your job or drivers license, do not risk these very important things to an attorney who does not possess the skills and guts to take it all the way for his clients. As an example, Matthew Ruff was retained by a San Pedro resident who was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon arising from an altercation along the waterfront at Ports of Call. The incident left the victim hospitalized with broken bones and injuries requiring surgery. The District Attorney wanted to send the individual to prison for four years and stick a strike on his record. This outcome would have left his kids without a father and his wife without income. Mr. Ruff fought the case hard to obtain a no jail probationary sentence with the ability to have the case reduced to a misdemeanor.

Contact San Pedro Criminal Defense Attorney Matthew J. Ruff for a free consultation at 310-527-4100.