A Boca Raton man was arrested in Palm Beach County for doing donuts in front of a large crowd of people and then fleeing as police approached. The area was a known meet-up for car enthusiasts. However, those that want to perform such stunts must do so on private tracks.
As it stands, Florida is the third worst state in the country for pedestrian deaths and ranks among the highest for traffic accidents per capita. Much of this problem is related to the quality of driving we do here in Florida. Many accidents are related to distracted driving, impaired driving, and simply aggressive driving. One man is facing charges that he tried to jump the curb because he didn’t want to be stuck behind another vehicle. This man killed several children.
Police responded to a call that hundreds of people had gathered in an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County near an airport. Folks from the airport reported that a man was doing donuts in an intersection. Police arrived and the vehicle fled. However, police were able to catch up with it later and arrested. He will face charges of reckless driving and eluding police.
Why is this now a major problem?
Palm Beach Raceway closed leaving thousands of car enthusiasts without a place to go. However, it is still possible for these individuals to pool their money, buy some land, and then develop it into a race track. Nonetheless, the closure of the race track has led to an uptick in the number of street racing events in Palm Beach County. This has spurred PBSO to conduct “high visibility” arrests.
There are two questions that need to be answered. Firstly, the charge of eluding police will stick since the driver did not pull over once the police had put their lights on. However, was the driver really doing anything reckless?
To prove reckless driving, you must be able to establish that the driver was acting with reckless disregard for the safety of others or their property. Anyone who attempts to flee law enforcement can be charged with reckless driving per se. That means that police need only prove the attempt to flee to prove reckless driving.
In other words, the driver may have not been charged with anything had he not attempted to flee the police. In this case, fleeing police allows the police to charge him with reckless driving.
What happens to the driver?
The driver will likely be charged with reckless driving and while he may not face jail time, his life is going to get harder, his license could be suspended, and a guy who takes his driving very seriously and loves to drive may find himself uninsurable. Hopefully, he can negotiate a plea deal, but the police are looking to crack down on this type of behavior so prosecutors may not be interested in cutting a deal. The prosecution of this case would be much more difficult on the government had he not attempted to elude police with 100s of people watching.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Attorney Today
The Skier Law Firm, P.A. represents the interests of those who are charged with crimes in Palm Beach County. Call our West Palm Beach criminal lawyers today to discuss your situation and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.
Source:
bocapost.com/news/arrests/boca-raton-arrests/boca-raton-man-arrested-for-street-racing-activity-and-fleeing-police-in-west-palm-beach/