Top Gardena Criminal Defense Attorney
Top Tier DUI Lawyer
☎️ Call Matt Direct at 310-527-4100
South Bay Attorney Matthew Ruff has been defending good people accused of bad things for over 25 years. From drunk driving to domestic violence, he has saved folks from the awful stigma of a criminal conviction. Recently Matt was hired by a young lady after she was arrested at a sobriety checkpoint near Gardena California. Matthew fought the charges of driving under the influence in Court and got all charges dropped, then went on to save her license from the div. If you or someone dear to you has been arrested. Call Matt today.
Located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, Gardena is bordered by Athens on the north, Harbor Gateway on the east and south, Torrance on the southwest and Alondra Park on the west. The city boasts one of the largest wetlands in the area called the "willows", it is located near the intersections of Vermont and Artesia Boulevard. Torrance Attorney Matthew Ruff provides aggressive criminal defense in Gardena California. His office is in close proximity to the South Bay Court where all criminal cases will go if they originate in the gardena and surrounding communities. Among the many cases our attorney handles are DUI, drunk driving, hit and run, domestic violence, assault, burglary, warrant recall and all DMV license suspension matters. Matthew can be reached directly at 310-527-4100
For years many people have alleged that Gardena cops are much more aggressive than other agencies in stopping and arresting DUI suspects. Regardless of the reality of that belief the fact remains that enforcement of criminal laws within the city is very robust and those people stopped continue to claim the police may have trampled on their Constitutional rights in the pursuit of making an arrest.
All misdemeanor cases are heard in Division 5 of the Torrance Court, which as of 2023 is presided over by the Honorable Judge Rene Gilbertson, a respected jurist who has extensive experience in criminal cases and is fair and impartial to all sides. Felony cases begin in Div. 4 and go to various courtrooms following preliminary hearing. Unlike many other cities in neighboring municipalities, Gardena does not have its own city prosecutor to pursue violations of law, all complaints are filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office which has a reputation for stern and tenacious handling of all criminal cases.
The Highest Success Rate!
Matthew was sought out to help a client arrested in Gardena for domestic violence after an altercation with family members inside the home. Matt was able to reach out to the Los Angeles District Attorney before charges were ever filed and resolve that case with NO CHARGES FILED.
Matt was called upon to defend a client arrested for driving under the influence on Crenshaw Blvd. after the GPD saw him run a stop sign. The client was detained after the officers smelled alcohol and detected slurred speech. He was asked to perform FST tests and failed, according to the police report. He was arrested and submitted to a blood test which came back .10 BAC. The biggest challenge in his case was that it was his second DWI offense in 10 years, so the District Attorney would be seeking mandatory jail time! He first went on his phone and searched for Gardena DUI Attorneys but was discouraged after most attorneys he spoke to offered little hope. Fortunately, he called a family member who had used Matt in the past and got her case dismissed. He hired Matt and he immediately obtained all evidence in the case, including Body-Cam video. Matt filed a motion to dismiss which was denied, but the DA realized their case was not as good as first thought. The DA offered to drop the DUI and reduce the charge to a wet reckless which the client accepted and got a fine and a 12 hour class.
Our office was retained by a young man looking for a domestic violence lawyer in Gardena after he was involved in a scuffle with his live-in girlfriend. The police were called out when an argument got physical and the client had to defend himself from the aggressive actions of the young woman. Unfortunately red marks were observed by officers and the client was arrested and had to bail out. He called Matt who immediately wrote out an action plan for the case. After several weeks our Firm was able to get ALL CHARGES DROPPED by the District Attorney's Office.
Matthew was hired by a local resident following an arrest by officers of the South Bay DUI Task force. The client was obviously afraid of the consequences of a DWI conviction, including the serious DMV penalties imposed. The client took a breath test at the scene that displayed a .13 and .12 respectively. Upon arrest he chose a breath test as opposed to blood and those separate results at the police station were .12 and .13 BAC. Matt immediately requested and was provided the official reports that revealed a significant issue relating to the reason for the initial stop and detention. He focused the defense on the constitutionality of the contact with police and raised arguments at the administrative hearing before the Department of Motor Vehicles. They agreed at set aside the suspension of the license. In Court, Matthew filed a motion challenging the police conduct under Penal Code 1538.5 and ultimately the DUI charges were Dismissed.
In another case Matt was hired by a client arrested for DUI after she crashed her car on Crenshaw Blvd. The police administered field sobriety tests and reported she failed to perform the tests as demonstrated. She was arrested and given a breath test that registered her BAC at .19 Blood alcohol level. Matt demanded a DMV hearing to save her license and at the hearing he argued the evidence was insufficient to establish the time of driving. The hearing officer agreed and the suspension was Set Aside.
Most recently, Matthew was hired to defend a young woman who was found by CHP after a collision. She had crashed into a tree and was detained after the officers observed slurred speech, unsteady gait and alcohol on her breath. She was given FST exercises and performed poorly. She was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and submitted to a breath test which showed .20/.21 BAC. Matt demanded a DMV hearing to fight the suspension of her license and argued the officers lacked a reasonable cause to believe she had been driving under the influence. The DMV agreed and SET ASIDE the License suspension and RETURNED HER LICENSE!
When a person is arrested in Gardena the police officer has discretion to release the individual on his or her own recognizance or hold them on bail pending an appearance in Court. In a typical DUI case, for example, most people are brought to the station and booked into the jail, they are kept overnight and released with a ticket that contains a Court date. In addition, the arrestee is issued a notice of suspension of their license. In these situations a local criminal attorney in Gardena can help by requesting a DMV hearing and thereafter appear before the judge in Gardena Court. Contact our office at 310-527-4100 for answers to other questions you may have about your specific case or arrest. Because our office is local, our lawyer knows the particular prosecutors and judges that will be involved in your case. Hiring a Gardena DUI Attorney gives your case an edge over all others and helps to ensure your constitutional rights are protected.
Our office has handled numerous Gardena criminal cases over the years and have challenged illegal DWI checkpoints, unlawful detentions, unconstitutional searches and seizures and other types of police misconduct with often favorable results. For example, recently a client was stopped by the Gardena Police Department upon exiting a local business. The office proceeded to order the client out of her car and compel her to submit to various sobriety tests under the belief she was intoxicated. The client was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence. Gardena DUI Lawyer Matthew Ruff was retained and immediately took steps to have her license returned, he then went to Court and convinced the prosecutor to drop all DUI and alcohol charges on the basis that his client was innocent of the baseless accusations.
In yet another successful Gardena case, Mr. Ruff was retained to represent a young supermarket clerk that had been involved in a traffic collision. The client had turned left and was struck by another motorist resulting in significant damage to both cars. The police were called and the client was arrested for drunk driving (Vehicle Code 23152), she was taken to the Gardena jail and blew a .14 into the breath machine. Not deterred by these seemingly bad facts, the attorney fought the case both at the DMV and in Court. He was able to avoid an actual suspension of the driving privilege and later convinced the District Attorney to dismiss the DUI charges and reduce the case to a reckless driving involving alcohol.
Top 4 Ways to Beat a Gardena Criminal Charge?
1. The cop pulled you over or detained you without probable cause. Every person in the State of California enjoys certain rights, whether you are a citizen or not. One of the big rights is that the police cannot detain you for questioning unless they have a reasonable basis to believe a crime is or has occurred. If the officer stops you and discovers evidence of a crime but did not have probable cause to stop you in the first place Matt can get the charges dismissed.
2. Lack of Evidence. The Government must be able to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the DA fails to have all witnesses or is missing a piece of evidence critical to the case, Matt can get the charges dropped.
3. Matt can File a Motion. Matthew has 25 years experience fighting cases, he knows what motions to file to get evidence suppressed, get charges dropped and get entire cases dismissed and removed from your record.
4. You Are Not Guilty. The District Attorney has the burden of proof in all criminal cases to prove you are guilty beyond and to the exclusion of any and all reasonable doubt. This means that if there is the smallest doubt that you are guilty and you can attach a reason for that doubt you must be found not guilty. This is the instruction that juries are given at the time of trial. Matt is adept in raising doubts in all cases, for example in a drunk driving case if the Breathalyzer is out of calibration this equates to reasonable doubt. In a domestic violence case if the "victim" was acting aggressively towards you and you acted in self defense, this is reasonable doubt.
Mr. Ruff can also help you if you are facing charges stemming from a Gardena criminal or driving under the influence case.
Matthew can be reached directly at 310-527-4100
The information contained within this site is not intended to constitute legal advice about any particular type of case. Individuals facing criminal prosecution in gardena or any other Court should procure a consultation with a lawyer as soon as possible. The information on this page is applicable only to California arrests and may not apply to situations in other states. Be aware that the law gives you certain rights but those rights may be lost if you fail to act diligently. For example, any arrest for a DUI in Gardena results in a DMV action which will escalate into a license suspension if you neglect to request a formal hearing within 10 calendar days of the incident.