Paris Hilton Arrested Thursday for Drunk Driving

Paris Hilton Photo courtesy: askmen.com

(LOS ANGELES) - Paris Hilton was arrested Thursday in Hollywood on charges of suspicion of drunk driving. Her publicists for the celebrity/socialite say the incident was blown out of proportion.

The blonde hotel heiress was pulled over for driving erratically in her

Officers say Hilton was driving her Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren in an erratic manner, they also say she failed to pass a sobriety test. She was arrested, booked into custody and released.

Hilton says the police have it all wrong; stating later Thursday that she "had been returning from a charity event" when the officers pulled her over.

"It was nothing," Hilton said. The heiress is known for partying, some say more so than for her skills as a singer and actress.

She says she hadn't eaten, was very hungry, and was only speeding so she could get some food according to the Bangkok Post, "I was just really hungry, and I wanted to have an In-N-Out burger," she said, plugging a popular local fast-food chain.

Most cops will tell you that the average drunk driver starts by telling them that they "had two beers." Paris Hilton insisted she had "one margarita" at the event, and believes that tipped the legal scales because she drank it on an empty stomach.

A spokesman for Hilton said her blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.08 per cent - the legal definition of intoxication under California law. That may be legally drunk, but for years the "legally drunk" level in California was .10 blood-alcohol content.

Hilton also said the police pulled her over because there were paparazzi nearby. Paparazzi payoffs?

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

Hilton will be arraigned in court on September 28th. She could receive a fine, probation, an alcohol-rehabilitation programme, license suspension and "other DUI-related conditions" like community service.

The maximum penalty for a first misdemeanour DUI arrest is a 1,000 dollar fine and six months in jail.