A criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale can assist you with charges for fleeing and eluding a police officer. Some of the ways that a skilled criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale can help include the following:

Explain the Charges Against You 

Florida law defines fleeing and eluding as failing to stop a vehicle someone is driving after becoming aware of a law enforcement officer’s request to pull the vehicle over. The driver might fail to stop or stopped the vehicle and then fled to try to elude the officer. You may be charged with different aspects of this charge if the law enforcement officer’s lights and sirens were active or if the driver was speeding or driving recklessly.  Additional penalties apply if your behavior led to death or serious injury.

Help You Establish a Defense 

There are a variety of defenses that you may have to these criminal charges, such as:

• The “fleeing” was not willful
• You were not aware the law enforcement officer was attempting to stop you
• You were not aware the person trying to stop you was a law enforcement officer
• The police officer did not adequately communicate the desire to pull you over
• The vehicle did not have proper insigniaor its sirens or lights were not on when you are charged under this aspect of the law

An experienced criminal defense attorney can evaluate the circumstances of your case and determine the defenses that apply to your case and help you minimize potential penalties.