Woman yells 'I'm a UT student, you can't arrest me' to officers after alleged DWI crash

Esther Shim, 21, accused of driving into restaurant, arrested

(Image: Austin Police Department)

AUSTIN, Texas – A University of Texas at Austin student was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after Austin police said she crashed into a restaurant near campus, then became physical and berated officers.

Police patrolling the area heard the crash and responded to the scene on Nov. 6 around 2:20 a.m., KVUE-TV reported.

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According to an arrest warrant obtained by KVUE, 21-year-old Esther Shim, a junior in the College of Communications, was behind the wheel, and became combative and verbally aggressive with officers after they pulled her out of the car to safety. 

Officers attempted to place her in handcuffs and she began to tense her arms. An officer asked if she was going to fight police and Shim replied “Yeah!” the affidavit said.

Shim then yelled at officers, saying, “I’m a UT student, you can't arrest me,“ KVUE reported.

The bizarre incident did not end there. KXAN-TV reported Shim began to kick at the windows and doors when she was placed in the back of a police car.

She had to be restrained in the backseat and was transported to the Travis County jail.

Deputies put her in a restraint chair and wheeled her into an isolation cell “due to her violent behavior,” according to KXAN.

Shim suffered minor injuries and the restaurant has been temporarily closed while the owners make repairs.

Due to an unfortunate event, we'll be closed until further notice. Everyone here at the business is safe, and we hope to open our doors again soon!

Posted by Poke Bowl Austin on Wednesday, November 15, 2017

To all my loyalty customer, this is what happened to #pokebowl at 2:30am. It's very damaged, we will be close until everything fix. Will update info regular. #Poké #Sushi #Austin #texas #UT #westcampus

Posted by Poke Bowl Austin on Tuesday, November 7, 2017

About the Author

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.

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