John Musca, the renowned Miami DUI Defense Lawyer, has learned that rapper Pitbull was found not guilty of a driving under the influence charge. Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, produces rap in Spanish and English as a Cuban-American artist who is particularly well known in south Florida. He was arrested in December 2007 when he was driving his silver Mercedes in Miami. Perez was pulled over in a routine traffic stop for speeding, because he was driving 93 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone, according to the police report by the law enforcement officer who placed Perez under arrest for DUI.
Pitbull became difficult and the law enforcement official insisted that he exit the car. The rapper reportedly smelled of alcohol, although he was allegedly chewing gum in an effort to mask the liquor odor. Perez also spoke quickly and slurred his words together and his eyes seemed bloodshot, according to the police report. He was asked to perform roadside field sobriety tests, which the police determined that he did not pass. Perez's DUI defense centered on the fact that the roadside tests were administered incorrectly by the law enforcement agency. Rather than judging factors such as the rapper's balance on a flat surface, the tests were administered on a highway ramp, which is an inclined surface that may have played a role in Pitbull's performance on the tests.
After many months of waiting, Perez's trial occurred last week. After deliberating for three hours, the Miami-Dade jury acquitted him of driving under the influence in the 2007 incident. Perez's most recent album is called the Boatlist and he has stated that he intends to be more careful about using alcohol when driving, saying that he will use a professional driver in the future when he goes out for "a social dinner."
