A man in his 50s who hit a young elementary school student while driving under the influence and fled the scene has been apprehended by the police.
On the 15th, the Namyangju Southern Police Station announced that they have placed a man identified as A, in his 50s, under investigation without detention on charges of fleeing the scene of an accident under the Specific Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act and driving under the influence under the Road Traffic Act.
A is suspected of hitting a 9-year-old elementary school student, B, while making a right turn at an intersection in Dasan-dong, Namyangju at around 7:40 PM on the 9th and then fleeing the scene.
As a result of the accident, it has been reported that B has not regained consciousness to date.
At that time, the police began tracking A based on the vehicle's license plate to apprehend him after he fled the scene. However, A's Genesis vehicle was a corporate lease vehicle, making it difficult to identify the driver. Ultimately, the police were able to identify A through a search warrant executed on the leasing company.
On the following day, the 10th, at around 5:55 PM, A voluntarily appeared at the police station and stated, "I did drive, but I did not know that an accident had occurred."
The police kept open the possibility that A was under the influence at the time of the accident and traced his movements on the day of the incident. As a result, they confirmed that A had been drinking with two acquaintances before getting into the vehicle involved in the accident.
Subsequently, the police successfully secured evidence of driving under the influence by analyzing the vehicle’s black box footage, CCTV, and A’s credit card transaction records. It was reported that A conceded to drunk driving after persistent questioning by the police.
The police also conducted investigations on the two passengers who were in the car with A at the time of the accident. However, they continued to assert, like A, that they "did not know an accident had occurred."
Currently, the police have requested a detailed analysis from the National Forensic Service to confirm A’s alcohol consumption and blood alcohol concentration, and they are investigating whether to apply charges of 'aiding and abetting drunk driving' against the passengers.
B's father stated, "My child was on the way home after finishing a lesson at the academy when the accident occurred," and added, "He was wearing a white jumper and carrying a bag, and tire marks were found on the bag."
He further expressed, "In that situation, it is incomprehensible for the driver to claim that he was unaware of the accident," and shared, "My child is still unconscious and underwent the first surgery this morning due to facial fractures."
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