Columbia Attempting to Elude an Officer Lawyer
Attempting to elude an officer can be any scenario where a person knows that a police officer is trying to pull them over and they choose not to stop. However, attempting to elude an officer is not common in traffic infraction in Columbia. When the officer takes action and follows the person, still trying to stop them from proceeding forward and failing to do so this is within the realm of eluding.
Because this charge is so specific, it can be critical to speak with a Columbia attempting to elude an officer lawyer about the charges you may be facing. Every traffic infraction is different and can vary based on something as simple as the arresting officer. Therefore, it can be critical to speak with an experienced traffic attorney who can represent your rights on your behalf.
Common Police Evading Cases in Columbia
Failing to stop when the officer indicates to stop (sirens, lights, anything like that) and the person who is actually driving the car does not pull over at that moment but continues to drive, even though they have been signaled by the officer who tried to initiate the stop, constitutes eluding an officer.
How Often Does Misinterpretation Occur in Traffic Stops?
If a driver stays on the road, waiting until the next side street to pull over, where they feel is a safe place to stop, this could be misinterpreted as an attempt to elide an officer as opposed to trying to find a safe place to stop. When a person does not respond to the signals of the police trying to stop them and the person continues to drive, the police probably think there is a reason the person does not want to stop and this does create a problem.
Driver Expectations for Attempt to Elude Law Enforcement
Attempting to Elude is a general offense which will be prosecuted by the State’s Attorney from whatever jurisdiction in Baltimore County that the incident occurred in, and the police officer will be present as well at any hearing. The defense attorney will need to come up with a good reason why the person had not stopped for the police officer.
A Columbia attempting to elude an officer lawyer may be able to provide several defenses leaning toward the possibility of danger to stop in that moment. Maintaining that the driver did not feel it was safe to stop has been accepted by the courts in certain situations.
Speaking With an Attorney About Charges for Eluding an Officer
A traffic lawyer can help someone facing an attempt to elude an officer charge by presenting the defense that the person was trying to stop or did not necessarily know the officer was trying to stop them. Failure to stop for an officer hinges on what the officer made known to the driver and what the driver understood or comprehended at the time.
When a police officer is driving behind somebody and has no lights, no sirens, and does nothing to indicate what they are trying to do, it would be difficult for the person to understand that the officer is attempting to get them to stop. There are steps and elements that need to be present for this to work. Contacting a Columbia attempting to elude an officer lawyer could be helpful when fighting these charges.