Charged with Resisting Arrest in Los Angeles?

Our Los Angeles Criminal Lawyers Can Help with Resisting Arrest Charges

Are you or someone you know being accused of a crime against the police? If so, you could find yourself between a rock and a hard place. Speak to a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer immediately! Crimes against the police are aggressively prosecuted in California. Many people arrested and charged with resisting arrest presume that the prosecutor or judge will believe their side of the story and drop the charges.

Not so! The criminal justice system in Los Angeles is not perfect and in resisting arrest cases it can seem like the defendant is guilty until proven innocent. Contact Stephen G. Rodriguez & Partners for a free case evaluation to learn about your legal rights and defenses and how we can assist you. We have 70 years of legal experience!

Resisting Arrest Law in California

In California, resisting arrest is usually charged under Penal Code Section 148(a)(1). This law makes it illegal to willfully resist, delay or obstruct public officers, peace officers or emergency medical technicians while they are discharging any of their duties. There does not have to be physical contact with the official in order to complete this crime.

Violating the resisting arrest law under Penal Code Sections 148(a)(1) and 148(a)(2) result in misdemeanor charges but if you use force or a weapon or injure a police officer during an attempted arrest, additional and more serious charges can be filed. Most of the additional California Penal Code violations associated with resisting arrest can be prosecuted as either misdemeanors or felonies ("wobbler" offenses).

They are:

• Using threats, force or violence to resist arrest
• Disarming or taking an officer's weapon while resisting arrest
• Injuring a peace officer during an arrest resulting in death or injury
• Evading a police officer and evading police with reckless driving
• Battery to a police officer, firefighter or EMT

Prosecutors are more likely to charge a felony if the defendant has a significant criminal record and the behavior during the arrest was allegedly egregious. On the other hand, if this was your first arrest and there are mitigating factors, e.g., the officer's injuries are minor, the prosecutor will be more likely to charge you with a misdemeanor.

Resisting Arrest Defenses

Resisting arrest laws in the state of California are very specific in describing what constitutes illegal activity during an arrest. For this reason, there are a number of different criminal defenses can be raised to argue against such allegations.

If a defense applies to your arrest, there is a good possibility that a Los Angeles criminal attorney at our firm will be able to get the charges against you reduced or dismissed.

Penalties & Sentencing

There are several issues that will affect sentencing if you are convicted of resisting arrest, including the Penal Code section under which the charge was filed, and the circumstances surrounding the arrest and your criminal record. If convicted of misdemeanor resisting arrest, you can be sentenced up to one year in the county jail and be required to pay a fine. 

Serving Clients Throughout Southern California

A resisting arrest conviction is unlike most convictions. If you are stopped by the police in the future and the officer discovers that you have a conviction for resisting arrest, it is sure to turn the police encounter into an unpleasant one. Defending against these types of charges is not easy and requires knowledge involving specific police procedures.

The experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys at our firm will focus on the variations and deviations from proper police procedure involved in the charges. We have defended many of these cases and have the know-how and the experience to help you. Let us put our 70 years of combined legal experience to work for you by calling today!

For a no-cost case evaluation, we invite you to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney and see how we can help you.