A student of University of Texas at Austin has been accused of driving while intoxicated after she smashed her car into a restaurant on Monday morning. She allegedly became confrontational with the officers when they tried to detain her.
21-year-old Esther Shim is a junior at UT’s College of Communication. She was driving in an area near campus dubbed The Drag which houses a strip of university shops and restaurants. Around 2:30am she was said to have driven her car through the front windows of a restaurant called Poke Bowl, and the momentum of the vehicle came to a stop when it plowed through the interior and into the bathroom of the establishment.
Two patrolling officers in the area heard Shim’s squealing tires and the sound of the collision. When they arrived at the site they found much of the restaurant structure had crumpled from the accident and was surrounding Shim’s car, trapping her inside.
The officers made several attempts to assist Shim in exiting the vehicle, and they succeeded after moving the rubble from the passenger side. When they pulled her from the car, though she stated she was fine she allegedly became hostile and aggressive.
EMS technicians arrived and attended to Shim determining that her injuries were minor, but when she spoke to the police they suspected that she was under the influence of alcohol. She then insisted they give her an on-site breathalyzer test.
Shim demanded that she only speak with UT police due to her enrollment at the institution, but they informed her that she would have to work with Austin law enforcement since the accident happened in their jurisdiction. When she tried to grab her ID card from an officer’s hand it resulted in their decision to arrest her.
Police stated that Shim “violently pulled away” when they tried to place her in cuffs, and she stiffened her arms in an attempt to resist. The officers reported that she began quarreling with them and said, “I’m a UT student! You can’t arrest me!” She was eventually placed in cuffs and the officers were forced to carry her to the police car. Once inside she began kicking the inside of the vehicle in an attempt to exit.
Officers restrained Shim in the car and transported her to Travis County central booking. She was placed in isolation due to her violent behavior.
If you or someone you love is suspected of DWI, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.