A Nevada senator was arrested for suspicion of DUI after the lawmaker was busted slumped over and apparently passed out in the driver’s seat of his car at a traffic light.
Sen. Edgar Flores (D-NV) was caught seemingly snoozing at a red light in the Northeast Las Vegas area in the early morning hours of Sept. 12 as a Las Vegas Metro Police officer pulled up behind him, according to body camera footage.
Officers discovered Flores, who was unresponsive, had his keys in the ignition of his Jeep Wrangler, which was in drive and his foot remained on the brake.
Flores doesn’t wake up until one of the officers knocks on his window — startling him awake — despite authorities trying to open the driver’s door and flashing him with lights.
Appearing disoriented, he is instructed to put his car in park and to step out. As one officer inspected Flores, another asked the 39-year-old senator where he had come from.
Flores told the officers he’d been playing soccer at Sunset Park — 3 miles away from Harry Reid International Airport — and was on his way home in northern Las Vegas, but he appeared to struggle to recall his address.
“Why are you sleeping in your vehicle?” one officer asked.
“Sorry, I think I must have fallen asleep,” Flores responded.
“How much have you had to drink tonight? Be honest with me,” the officer asked.
“Just a drink,” Flores replied, then clarified it was “one beer” at around midnight.
After checking his ID, the officer realized Flores was a state senator and instructed the other responding officer to “make sure we run him through all the tests.”
The bodycam video then shows the senator appearing to stumble through a field sobriety test. After several minutes and failing the test, Flores was placed under arrest.
Flores — who represents northeastern Clark County — was later booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a misdemeanor DUI charge.
He was not formally charged and, under state law, was released from jail after a blood draw without posting bail or appearing before a judge, according to KLAS.
Since being charged, the senator has acknowledged he was tired, but claimed he was not impaired while driving.
Flores’ team released a statement on X saying he was stopped “after a long day of work, community events, evening exercise, and a late dinner.”
The team insisted Flores played it straight with cops, agreeing to both a breathalyzer and a blood test. They also claimed the breath test came back clean — 0.0 — and are certain the blood draw will as well.
However, LVMP claimed he refused a “preliminary breath test” at the scene, and it will take around 90 days for his toxicology report to be processed, KLAS reported.
Flores’ campaign said they “respect the officers’ diligence in ensuring public safety,” but will be “reviewing whether his rights and privacy were properly respected.”
A status hearing on the filing of a criminal complaint against the senator is set for Jan. 12.
