Fleeing or Eluding a Police Officer

For some people, getting pulled over by a police officer can be an extremely stressful experience. You might see the flashing lights in your rear-view mirror and immediately panic. An innate feeling of fight or flight might overtake your brain due to a flood of emotions and fear. Before you can process your thoughts, you feel your foot pressing on the accelerator, and you are fleeing the police officer.

We often see these cases with motorcyclists all the time due to the fast speeds they can reach on their motorcycles to outrun the police.

It only takes one moment. In a lifetime of choices, making a single wrong decision can turn your whole world upside down. Fleeing or Eluding a Police Officer in Philadelphia can result in thousands of dollars of fines, a suspension of your driver’s license, and years of imprisonment. However, there are defenses to this charge. It is possible, for example, that you did not realize the police were attempting to stop you. If you fight these charges, you will need a good Criminal Defense Lawyer on your side. The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin can help you better understand the nature of these charges and how to contest them in court.

How Do We Handle These Serious Charges?

First off, we need to understand what exactly this offense entails. It may seem self-explanatory, but the burden remains with the state to prove the following:

The driver willfully failed or refused to bring his vehicle to a stop or otherwise flees, or attempts to do so, a pursuing officer, and
When given a visual and audible signal, it fails to bring the vehicle to a stop.
The signal may be by hand, voice, emergency lights, or siren.

You must understand what the state has to prove to make its case against you. The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. can help you to prepare defenses against the charges.

Generally speaking, this crime is classified in Pennsylvania as a Second-Degree Misdemeanor; however, these charges may be elevated to a Felony of the Third Degree based upon the presence of certain factors, including:

Endangering the public or police
Being under the influence of alcohol
Crossing state lines

If the crime is graded as a Second-Degree Misdemeanor, an offender will face up to two years in prison, $5,000 in fines, and a one-year suspension of their driver’s license. If the grading of the crime is raised to the level of a Third-Degree Felony, on the other hand, an offender will be facing as many as seven years in prison, $15,000 in fines, and a one-year suspension of their driver’s license.

With such significant penalties, you must understand what is at stake and proceed accordingly. Contact The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. to set up a Free Consultation. We will fight to protect your rights.