Paris Hilton arrested for drunk driving

Thu Sep 7, 9:22 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celebrity Paris Hilton was arrested in Hollywood early on Thursday on suspicion of drunk driving, Los Angeles police said.

Police pulled the hotel heiress over and tested her for intoxication after seeing her drive erratically, Los Angeles police officer Robert Andreno told Reuters.

"She was arrested so, yes, she failed the sobriety test," said Andreno.

Los Angeles police spokeswoman Marjan Mobasser said Hilton was stopped by traffic officers in the Hollywood area around 1 a.m.

Hilton, the 25-year-old heiress to the Hilton hotel and real estate dynasty, has achieved celebrity through saturation media coverage of her hard-partying lifestyle and a growing number of television appearances.

Her publicist Elliot Mintz, who picked up his client from the police station, said Hilton was affected more than usual by the one drink she had because it was "one drink on an empty stomach after a full day's work."

"It's the absolute minimum amount of alcohol in your system that would justify an arrest," he told reporters.

Mintz said Hilton's day on Wednesday started at 4:30 a.m. for the second day of a music video shoot for new album "Paris." In the evening, she went to a charity event in Hollywood and had a drink without eating dinner, Mintz said. He said Kimberly Stewart, the daughter of rocker Rod Stewart, was in Hilton's Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren when she was pulled over

Paris' DUI pinch a boost to party image

By SANDY COHEN,

AP Entertainment Writer

Thu Sep 7, 10:15 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - For most celebrities, getting smacked with a DUI is an instant image crisis. For Paris Hilton, it could be a career boost. "Paris Hilton being arrested just makes her more famous," said veteran publicist Michael Levine. "She has devoted her entire adult life to appearing to be the princess of parties."

Hilton's publicist, Elliot Mintz, confirmed the star's festive nature Thursday: "She's been known to have a drink or two."

Hilton was arrested by Los Angeles police officers in Hollywood early Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence. During the arrest she was briefly handcuffed. Hilton was booked at LAPD's Hollywood station at 1:43 a.m. and released shortly afterward, said Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for the city attorney's office.

This is Hilton's first drunken-driving arrest, Mintz said, adding that he doesn't expect the incident to hurt her image.

"The people who enjoy Paris as a comedian or actress on TV or as a singer on her CD, a woman who seems to have captured the imagination of so many people, I don't know if this is going to have any impact on them one way or another," he said. "But, of course, she regrets what took place."

Hours after her release, Hilton defended herself to radio host Ryan Seacrest during his Thursday morning show on local station KIIS-FM.

"It was nothing," said Hilton, 25.

The singer, actress, handbag designer and heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune said she was "starving because I had not ate all day" and possibly "speeding a little bit" in her Mercedes-Benz SLR on her way to grab a bite.

"I was just really hungry and I wanted to have an In-N-Out burger," said the one-time pitchwoman for Carl's Jr.

Hilton, who made her singing debut last week with the release of her eponymous CD, said she spent Wednesday filming a music video and going out with her sister, Nicky, and some friends for dinner, but not eating. The group then headed to a charity event sponsored by rocker Dave Navarro.

Hilton said she had "one margarita" at the event.

Just last month, she told the Los Angeles Times that she "doesn't like the taste of alcohol."

"It grosses me out," she said.

Hilton told Seacrest that police stopped her for speeding. An LAPD spokeswoman said Hilton was driving erratically.

"Officers observed the vehicle driving in an erratic manner so they pulled the car over," officer Marjan Mobasser said Thursday.

Hilton's blood-alcohol level was .08 percent — the minimum to warrant an arrest, Mintz said.

According to a national research study, a 137-pound woman would need to consume three alcoholic drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 blood-alcohol level. The 5'8" and fashionably slender Hilton likely weighs much less than 137 pounds.

She described the arresting officers as "really nice."

"There was a lot of paparazzi around so I think they were trying to make a statement," she told Seacrest. "Everything I do is blown out of proportion and it really hurts my feelings."

The city attorney's office will receive Hilton's case "in the next few days" and will determine whether to file charges against her, Velasquez said.

If charged, Hilton is expected to be arraigned Sept. 28, he said. Penalties for a first drunken-driving offense typically include a fine, probation, an alcohol-rehabilitation program, license suspension and "other DUI-related conditions" such as community service, he said.

LAPD officials said they will not release Hilton's arrest report or her mug shot.