Paris Hilton's In More Trouble
Hours after her release for allegedly driving under the influence, Paris 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-chain fortune said she was "starving because I had not ate all day" and possibly "speeding a little bit" in her Mercedes 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 was arrested early Thursday for investigation of driving under the influence, police said.
Hilton's spokesman, Elliot Mintz tells The ShowBuzz that Hilton had one margarita at a charity event before being pulled over by authorities.
The heiress was arrested shortly before 12:30 a.m. in Hollywood, said police officer I. Isabella, who declined to give his first name.
"The officers observed that Hilton exhibited the symptoms of intoxication. A field sobriety test was conducted at scene, and the officers determined she was driving under the influence," said Isabella, reading a police statement.
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.
Officer Isabella said Hilton was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor 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.
Mintz confirmed the arrest and said police detected the minimum blood-alcohol level to warrant an arrest. The legal limit in California is 0.08 percent.
In a phone interview with The ShowBuzz,Mintz said Hilton began her day around 5 a.m., and was in Pasadena shooting a music video for her new album and hadn't found time to eat all day.
Hilton told Seacrest she later had dinner with her sister, Nicky, and some friends before heading to a charity event sponsored by rocker Dave Navarro.
Hilton said she had "one margarita" at the event and that the arresting officers were "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."
"Her sister appeared as well as Kevin Connolly, her sister's boyfriend," Mintz said. "She wasn't slurring her words or sloppy or wobbling about or anything. But, as usual, these things are publicly humiliating."
According to Mintz, the police released Hilton because she was not considered a flight risk. "She was released into the custody of somebody who was sober, me. I drove her home," he says. Mintz says no calls were made to Hilton's parents in the early morning hours.
Mintz reports that Hilton prepared to face any consequences for the arrest.
"These things, obviously, are never pleasant: a visit to the police department, having your picture taken and all that business. She certainly did not take it in a lackadaisical manner," he said. "There is no humor involved in any of this. Whereas we certainly don't view it as the crime of the century, the fact of the matter is that it is inappropriate for people to drink and (drive) and she regrets having done what she did and she'll face the consequences."
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 is expected to be arraigned Sept. 28, said Velasquez. Penalties for a first drunk-driving arrest 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.
The maximum penalty for a first misdemeanor DUI arrest is a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.