The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
In an event that news outlets are reporting as a first in Arizona, a man was arrested for suspicion of DUI while riding an electric scooter.
At the end of October, a Tempe police officer was driving when he saw a man in black clothing in the center of the road with a scooter in tow. The man then reportedly rapidly left the area and rode his electric vehicle into a parking lot.
The officer trailed the man and alleged that when he was able to make contact with him he found him lying on his back on the ground, and the scooter was tipped over.
As recorded in the incident report, when he began to speak to the man, identified as Shelton Begay, 28, he told the officer that he had fallen off of the scooter two times while he was at a nearby stoplight. He additionally disclosed that he had been involved in an impact with a vehicle and that the driver had not stopped after the incident occurred.
The scent of alcohol was reported as emanating from Begay and the officer believed that he had garbled speech. Begay allegedly said that he had consumed two beers earlier that day and revealed that he was holding more alcohol in his backpack.
Upon checking his bag seven miniature bottles of spirits and a couple of beers were found, and the officer purported that Begay had been driving the scooter on the road after becoming intoxicated.
The type of scooter that Begay was reportedly operating is categorized as a vehicle in the state of Arizona and can go up to a speed of 35 MPH.
When the woman driving the other vehicle involved in the alleged collision spoke with the authorities she said that she saw Begay “swerving” on the scooter before he allegedly hit her car. She also reported that she was not hurt during the event. A small dent was seen on her car and assumed to be collateral damage from the accident allegedly involving Begay.
The firefighters that responded at the scene transported Begay to the local hospital to check his physical condition and he was later taken into custody by the police for suspicion of DUI, reckless driving, criminal damage, and endangerment. When they tested his blood-alcohol level it was recorded as 0.285.
If you or someone you love is suspected of DUI, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.