DALLAS -- A Dallas County prosecutor is getting a first-hand look at what it's like to be on the other side of the law.

Thomas Gatlin, 43, was arrested after slamming his car into a house. Dallas police say he was drunk.

Melissa Stanley said she was surprised when she saw a car crash into her neighbor's house.

"It was loud," she said. "I thought the engine was on fire, but it was the tires spinning into the ground," Stanley said.

Louis Knight also saw what happened. "After he hit the house, he still had his foot on the gas," he said.

Thomas Gatlin

Witnesses used a hammer to break the front windshield to turn off the car.

"[We] didn't know who he was," Stanley said. "We were banging on the windows and we were trying to get him to look up, so we could unlock the door and put the car in Park. But he wasn't responding to any of that."

Police identified the driver as Gatlin, a Dallas county assistant district attorney in the felony courts.

According to a Dallas police report, Gatlin refused field sobriety tests, so officers could not determine if he was drunk. He also refused a breathalyzer test and a blood test, which would have assessed his blood alcohol level.

An arrest report said Gatlin's breath smelled of alcohol, he had bloodshot eyes, and could not walk without assistance. Police also found a half-bottle of vodka in the front seat of his car.

"I guess some people might just think they are above the law, and I guess this is a lesson for us to realize that we're not," Stanley said.

Damage to the home was estimated at about $10,000. The DA's office and Gatlin may have to do damage control.

E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com.