Courthouse Isn’t the Place to Drive Without a License

It was the law enforcement equivalent of shooting ducks in a barrel.

El Monte police waited outside the Rio Hondo Municipal Courthouse on Wednesday morning for scofflaws whose licenses had been suspended minutes earlier to climb into their cars and drive off.

El Monte Police Agent Richard Thomas said the novel operation was initiated after police found that about 40% of those arrested for driving under the influence were already driving with suspended licenses.

“These are things we want to reduce,” Thomas said.

Two undercover officers waited in Commissioner Steven Sanora’s courtroom, where the jurist warned suspects to not drive if their licenses were suspended. Of the five whose licenses were suspended, one--Henry Evans, 58, of Ontario--left the courtroom and climbed directly into his car, authorities said.

The undercover officers radioed outside, and police began to close in. But they were beaten to the punch by the news media, who crowded around Evans’ car the moment it left the parking lot and filmed his arrest.

Later Wednesday, Evans pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and either a $946 fine or 100 hours of community service, a clerk said. Evans had been in court for a probation hearing stemming from a 1991 DUI conviction.

Sanora said judges in Rio Hondo regularly revoke suspects’ right to drive, only to see them drive away minutes later.

“It’s frustrating,” Sanora said. “It’s like, please, show a little respect for the law.”