Top San Pedro DUI Attorney
Criminal Defense Lawyer in San Pedro
☎️ Call Matthew Directly for a Consultation 310-514-0877
Looking for a Top Rated San Pedro DUI Attorney? Matt has the highest rating, has 25 Years Experience, is trained by NHTSA for FST expertise and is a member of NCDD. If you are facing an upcoming Court date for a criminal arrest you need an aggressive advocate with the skills to win your case. You need someone who has the highest track record for Dismissal and Acquittal at Jury Trial, Matthew Ruff is the attorney you need.
DUI is one of the most common criminal offenses Matt defends. It is perhaps the most common because it is one of the easiest criminal laws to violate. For example, if you go out to dinner and have one too many glasses of wine, you could be arrested and charged with driving under the influence. The consequences can be devastating. If you do not fight a DWI you could be facing a mandatory driver's license suspension of up to three years and potential jail time, not to mention the impact it has on your driving record. Matthew understands the seriousness of these charges and vigorously defends his clients to achieve a great result. An example of this is a recent case he handled where his client was arrested on the 110 Freeway following an accident near Gaffey Street. The client was under 21 and blew a .11 on the breath machine. Matt fought the case and got the DUI CHARGES DISMISSED.
Call or Text Matt Direct on his Cell 310-686-1533
(You will NOT be "Passed Off" To a Secretary)
When you are arrested you need a Top Tier Lawyer on your side. No one can anticipate being arrested, it happens unexpectedly. When you are released it is important to make the right decisions prior to your Court date, you need to be aware of your important legal rights and obligations. Being arrested for DUI or any other criminal charge can be terrifying. Mr. Ruff has been there at the side of good honest people for over 25 years, defending their rights in Court. You do not have to go at it alone, Attorney Ruff can be your "ace in the hole" to avoid loss of your license, your freedom and your job.
When you are arrested and facing a pending Court date you want someone by your side who has tons of experience in the criminal justice system, someone who has fought and won thousands of cases and someone who cares about you and your record. Matthew has over 25 years under his belt and all he does is criminal defense. His clients have high regard for his expertise and have written statement scores of reviews on Yelp, AVVO and Google. He has a 10 out of 10 rating and is regarded as a "superb attorney" by the largest lawyer rating service in the Country.
Matthew recently defended a longshoreman charged with a second DUI in 10 years. He knew he had to keep the client out of jail and do everything he could to save the drivers license. The client was involved in a collision on the freeway was contacted by CHP and blew a .18 on the breath test but Matt knew he still had to fight. He went to Court and negotiated a NO JAIL disposition with no community service as well and no house arrest. He later worked out a restricted license so she could drive for work. California law now allows for restricted licenses for multiple offenders, even if you have a DUI with a prior, or 2 priors, even 3 prior drunk driving convictions. Call Matthew to get help with getting your license back!
Chances are if you were arrested in San Pedro California it was by one of three law enforcement agencies, LAPD, LASD or CHP. The city is actually part of Los Angeles and therefore has no local police department. The primary patrol is Harbor station and they conduct most of the DUI stops ans checkpoints in the city. Despite the fact that San Pedro has its own Court, all criminal matters go to Long Beach Court for arraignment and prosecution. Local cops use a breath machine called an ECIR which is old technology. The machines are maintained by the scientific services bureau of the LAPD and if you were tested with one of these devices it is always a good idea to get the maintenance records of the machine to determine whether it was in good working order. Matthew Ruff has 25 years experience in criminal defense and has defended thousands of DUI cases. In one recent case he represented a young lady pulled over for erratic driving, she was given the ECIR breath test and it read .09 and .09. Matthew was able to get the DUI charges dismissed and worked out a deal for a speeding violation. The bottom line is that most cases can be won if you hire a lawyer early on in the case.
The Highest Success Rate!
Matthew defended a client arrested for DUI after he was involved in a collision with another vehhicle. The client was worried about the consequences of a drunk driving so he looked for the best DUI Attorney in San Pedro and found Matthew. The client took a breath test which was above .08 and he was charged with DWI and driving above the legal limit in California. Matt got all the reports and evidence and found issues with the testing process which he used in his negotiations with the prosecution. Matt was ultimately able to get the DUI CHARGES DROPPED and the case was resolved.
Matt was called upon to defend a client facing a DUI Refusal Suspension after she was arrested on Palos Verdes drive coming home from a night out with her friends. She was stopped for running a stop sign and the officer detected an odor of alcohol and slurred speech. The client was asked to exit her car and she did not do well on FST exercises. She was arrested and asked to submit to a breath or blood test but, according to the officer, refused the tests. She was facing a 1 year license suspension. Matt got a DMV hearing and stopped the suspension while he investigated the facts of the case. Matt got all body-cam video of the incident and was able to show that the officer was wrong in his report. At the DMV hearing Matt presented evidence his client did not refuse and the REFUSAL SUSPENSION WAS SET ASIDE, het license was returned.
Being arrested for a DUI or other criminal charge does not have to result in a permanent scar on your record. In fact, most people that decide to fight their case and hire a lawyer end up with a better result than the same individual that simply goes to Court and pleads guilty or no contest. Fighting a case does not always mean the person has to go to a jury trial. Attorney Matthew Ruff knows the defenses and motions in order to secure a dismissal, reduction or diversion on many crimes such as drunk driving, vandalism, driving while suspended, drug possession and domestic violence offenses.
Question of the Day: Why did the Officer ask me to follow a pen before I was arrested for DWI? Police are trained to follow a certain protocol when conducting an investigation for driving under the influence. Administering a "3 test battery" is part of that protocol. The HGN or Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test is part of that 3 test battery and consists of having the subject follow a pen or finger in order to determine if nystagmus is present. Nystagmus is when the eyeballs jerk or bounce when following a stimulus. The problem with the test is most cops do not perform the procedure correctly, even when they do it is prone to false positives. Matthew knows how to attack and neutralize the significance of this test.
All San Pedro DUI cases are sent to the Long Beach Court for appearances. A typical DUI arrest in San Pedro involves the LAPD harbor division, CHP or one of the many military police agencies that patrol various bases and governmental installations in the harbor area. Persons arrested for drunk driving are usually transported to the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor station off the 110 freeway. Once there an arrestee is given the opportunity to take either a blood or breath test to determine blood alcohol levels. If drugs are suspected, the officer may request that a urine test be taken in addition to the standard breath machine. Thereafter the individual is booked (fingerprinted and photographed) and held for a number of hours for detox. Bail is often set or the watch commander can authorize a release on the person's own recognizance. Upon release all property taken is returned and a DMV notice of suspension is served on the driver notifying him or her of the requirement to request a DMV hearing to save their drivers license. All DUI charges in San Pedro are referred to the Superior Court in Long Beach for criminal prosecution. As a DUI Lawyer in San Pedro I have defended well over 2000 cases in the last 25 years.
With regard to criminal charges, some of the common offenses that come from the San Pedro California area include drug possession, public intoxication, theft (both petty and grand), shoplifting, reckless driving, gang allegations, vandalism, felony and misdemeanor classes of crimes, among many others. Matthew Ruff is a San Pedro based criminal defense lawyer that is local to the area and knows the judicial system from the inside out. With the anticipation of the new Courthouse in Long Beach that will serve San Pedro criminal cases, there is a likelihood that all matters will move more efficiently through the justice system. The Judges that hear these cases should have more resources available to ensure that all litigants receive a fair trial.
With well over 2000 criminal cases under his belt, there are not too many situations Mr. Ruff has not seen in his career. The most important thing to look for in a criminal defense attorney is a wealth of experience handling a variety of cases from vehicle code offenses to homicide charges, he has handled them all. As a local San Pedro criminal lawyer he is in Court virtually every day representing his clients from the wrath of the government. Having a defender like him on your side can make the difference between incarceration and freedom, or the loss of your job or drivers license, do not risk these very important things to an attorney who does not possess the skills and guts to take it all the way for his clients. As an example, Matthew Ruff was retained by a San Pedro resident who was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon arising from an altercation along the waterfront at Ports of Call. The incident left the victim hospitalized with broken bones and injuries requiring surgery. The District Attorney wanted to send the individual to prison for four years and stick a strike on his record. This outcome would have left his kids without a father and his wife without income. Mr. Ruff fought the case hard to obtain a no jail probationary sentence with the ability to have the case reduced to a misdemeanor.
Contact San Pedro Criminal Defense Attorney Matthew J. Ruff for a free consultation at 310-514-0877. Matt offers discounts for ILWU local 13 and 56 members, dock workers, Port employees, Longshoreman and other discounts for union members and organizations.
Top 3 Ways To Beat A San Pedro DUI
1. The LAPD Stopped You Without Probable Cause. If the police pull you over they need a reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred or witness a violation of the law. Many cops stop vehicles based on the race of the driver or the location of the vehicle. It is not unusual to be stopped simply because you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you were stopped for no good reason, Matt can help get the case dismissed.
2. Your Rights Were Violated. If you were arrested for DWI and the police took blood from you there is a good chance your Fourth Amendment Rights were violated. Matt knows the rules and the laws pertaining to blood draws in California and can help show your rights were violated to get the case dismissed.
3. You Are Not Guilty. The Prosecution has the burden of proof to show you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Top San Pedro DUI Lawyer Matthew Ruff has the skills to raise a doubt about your guilt. Among the many defenses in a drunk driving case are: Rising BAC Defense, False Breath Test, Failure to Follow Regulations and Medical Defenses such as GERD. If you are arrested, Matt can help show that the state's case is weak and doesn't rise to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Our San Pedro Office is located at 222 W. 6th Street, San Pedro California 90731 (By Appointment Only)