Man Arrested in Delray Beach After Traffic Stop Goes Wrong

Last week, in Delray Beach, a man was arrested after what could have been a routine traffic stop went terribly wrong.

During the traffic stop, a gun allegedly dropped out of the glove compartment of the vehicle which had been pulled over; apparently in a panic, the driver of the pulled-over car recklessly sped off down the road, giving officers even more of a reason to place him under arrest.

Eventually, as our Delray Beach and Hollywood criminal defense lawyers know, the man was arrested and booked in Palm Beach County jail, where he remains held on $12,000 bail.

While certain high-profile criminal cases involving defendants such as George Zimmerman (in the 2013 Trayvon Martin case) and Michael Dunn (in the 2014 Jordan Davis case) have given Florida a national reputation as a gun-loving sanctuary for firearm enthusiasts, gun laws are actually taken quite seriously by law enforcement agencies in the Sunshine State. The fact that Floridians are familiar with the state’s strict gun laws might explain why Devin Miller sped away from police in the midst of a routine traffic stop.

You see, as Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyers know, Miller’s car was pulled over last Thursday night after police saw his car speeding down Southwest 12th Ave. When he was asked for it by the officers who approached his car, Miller dutifully handed over his driver’s license. When one officer returned to the police car to “run” the license (and check for any outstanding warrants or other related issues), the other officer remained by the passenger side door and then asked Miller to provide evidence of his vehicle registration and insurance.

That’s when things went wrong.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, when Miller reached over to open the glove box (in order to retrieve his registration and proof of insurance), a gun fell out of the glove box. Noticing that the gun dropped from the glove box, the officer jumped back from the vehicle, seemingly out of caution. It was at this point that Miller sped off down the road (indicating that Miller might have had possession of the gun illegally and thus feared being arrested for and charged with the offense). Police say that while he was fleeing, he rear-ended another vehicle.

Officers eventually caught up with Miller and arrested him for a number of offenses, including fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of an accident, and reckless driving. As our Delray Beach and Hollywood criminal defense lawyers at the Law Offices of Leifert & Leifert know, by fleeing police officers, Miller got himself into even more trouble than he might have been, as he now sits in jail in Palm Beach County on $12,000 bail, facing a number of charges.

If you have any questions about this or any other criminal defense issue, or if you have been arrested for or charged with a crime in Palm Beach, Broward or Miami-Dade County, please contact our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyers at the Law Offices of Leifert & Leifert by calling 1-888-5-DEFEND (1-888-533-3363) to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to assisting you.