The Los Angeles Clippers’ Zach Randolph has been suspended for two games after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Los Angeles hours after a game he played against the Los Angeles Lakers. According to this news report, two California Highway Patrol officers saw a white Rolls-Royce weaving on the 405 Freeway in the Culver City area of West Los Angeles. When officers pulled over the car, they identified Randolph as the driver. Officers said they smelled alcohol in the car and arrested Randolph after he failed a field sobriety test. There is no information on whether Randolph took a breath test.
Drivers, when pulled over for a routine DUI stop, are often asked to submit to field sobriety tests and breath tests to determine if a Los Angeles DUI offense has been committed. With field sobriety tests, drivers are asked to perform physical or cognitive tests, which are meant to help the arresting officer determine the driver’s sobriety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines are known as the “standardized field sobriety tests” and they usually include the following tests:
• The one-leg stand • Walk and turn • Hortizontal gaze nystagmus test
In our opinion, these tests do not provide an accurate assessment of whether or not a person is intoxicated. The margin for error is significantly large. A person may fail one of these tests or all of these tests simply because they are dazed, upset, confused or exhausted. If you have been charged with drunk driving because you failed a field sobriety test, please contact an experienced California DUI defense attorney at Sitkoff & Hanrahan for a free consultation and case evaluation. Please do not make any important decisions without talking to a truly experienced criminal defense lawyer first. Call 888-579-4844 today.