Los Angeles Aggravated DUI Lawyer

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Aggravated DUI Attorney in Los Angeles

If you have been charged with an aggravated DUI in Los Angeles you are facing enhanced penalties that go far beyond a standard DUI. An aggravated DUI involves circumstances that elevate the charge and the consequences including a high blood alcohol level, a minor in the vehicle, excessive speed, prior DUI convictions, or causing injury or death to another person. These cases are prosecuted aggressively and the difference between a standard DUI and an aggravated charge can mean the difference between probation and state prison. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi our Los Angeles aggravated DUI lawyer has spent over 20 years defending clients against DUI and serious criminal charges throughout Los Angeles County. Contact our office today at (310) 448-1529 for a free confidential consultation.

Aggravated DUI is not a single charge under California law. It describes any DUI case where specific factors increase the penalties beyond the standard range. A blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher triggers enhanced sentencing at both the misdemeanor and felony level. A minor under 14 in the vehicle adds mandatory jail time and typically results in a child endangerment charge under Penal Code 273a filed alongside the DUI creating two separate cases from one incident. A DUI causing injury under Vehicle Code 23153 is a wobbler that can be filed as a felony carrying up to 3 years in state prison plus additional consecutive time for each person injured. A DUI causing death can be charged as gross vehicular manslaughter under Penal Code 191.5 carrying up to 10 years or when a prior DUI conviction included a Watson admonishment as second-degree murder carrying 15 years to life. That escalation from a DUI to a murder charge based on a prior conviction is one of the most serious consequences in California criminal law and it happens in Los Angeles County regularly.

Prior conviction history drives the most serious escalations in aggravated DUI cases. A second DUI within 10 years carries mandatory jail time and a longer license suspension. A third DUI within 10 years can be charged as a felony. A fourth DUI regardless of when the prior convictions occurred is always a felony in California. When any prior DUI conviction included a Watson admonishment — the standard court warning that impaired driving can constitute murder — and a subsequent DUI causes a death the District Attorney’s office in Los Angeles regularly files second-degree murder. Understanding whether Watson applies in your case and how to challenge it is one of the first things our criminal defense attorney analyzes when a DUI involves a prior conviction and a death.

The defense in any aggravated DUI case begins with the stop and the investigation that followed. When the traffic stop lacked reasonable suspicion the entire case is built on a constitutionally defective foundation. Field sobriety tests that were improperly administered, conducted on uneven ground, or evaluated by an officer who did not follow standardized protocols are subject to direct challenge. Blood test results can be attacked through the calibration and maintenance records of the testing equipment, the chain of custody of the sample from the draw through the laboratory analysis, and the methodology used to reach the reported result. When the blood draw was conducted without a valid warrant or proper consent the results may be suppressible entirely and without reliable chemical evidence the prosecution’s ability to prove the specific blood alcohol level alleged collapses.

When the aggravated DUI charge involves injury or death the case requires immediate independent investigation that cannot wait. Accident reconstruction needs to happen before the scene changes. Independent medical analysis of the injuries needs to be conducted while the records are fresh. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses and traffic cameras has strict retention windows. Witness accounts become less reliable over time. Getting an aggravated DUI attorney in Los Angeles involved from the first day is the difference between a defense built on the complete evidentiary picture and one built on whatever fragments remain after months have passed without anyone preserving what matters.

We understand that an aggravated DUI charge feels like everything is coming apart at once. Your license, your job, your freedom, and your family are all affected simultaneously and the criminal case is only one part of the consequences you are navigating. Our criminal defense attorney will sit down with you, go through every fact of the arrest and investigation, explain exactly what you are facing at each level of the charging decision, and build a defense strategy focused on the best available outcome given the specific facts of your case. We do not approach these cases with generic strategies. Every aggravated DUI has specific facts that create specific opportunities and identifying those opportunities early is what determines what the defense can accomplish.

Attorney Arash Hashemi has defended clients against aggravated DUI and serious criminal charges in every major courthouse throughout Los Angeles County for over 20 years. He understands how the District Attorney’s office at each filing location approaches these cases, which arguments carry the most weight at each venue, and where the defense has the most leverage from arraignment through trial. Every case is handled personally by Attorney Hashemi from the first consultation through resolution with no associates and no handoffs. When you retain our firm you work directly with the attorney who will be standing beside you in court.

If you have been charged with an aggravated DUI in Los Angeles contact our office immediately. The earlier our Los Angeles aggravated DUI lawyer is analyzing your case the more options are on the table. Contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.

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We are conveniently located in the Westside Towers serving clients facing aggravated DUI and serious criminal charges across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, and all surrounding communities. Your defense starts the moment you call.