Ambulance Blocked by Taxi Driver Who Promised to 'Take Responsibility'... Only a Single "Regret" Statement

Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Taxi Driver Choi Mo
"Key Charges Established, Flight Risk" Detention
Investigation Continues for Murder by Implied Intent and Others

Taxi driver Choi Mo (31), who is at the center of the controversy for blocking an ambulance and causing the death of an emergency patient by insisting on handling a minor traffic accident first, appeared at the pre-arrest detention hearing at the Seoul Eastern District Court on the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "I'll take responsibility, so call 119 for the patient. I'll take responsibility if they die."

Taxi driver Choi Mo (31) blocked an ambulance transporting an emergency patient to the hospital, demanding that the accident be handled first after a minor collision occurred. He was criticized for the ambulance's failure to transport the patient to the hospital in time, which ultimately led to the patient's death. He has now been arrested.

According to the legal community on the 26th, Judge Kwon Deok-jin, who is in charge of warrants at the Seoul Eastern District Court, issued an arrest warrant on the 24th for Choi, who is suspected of special assault (intentional accident) and obstruction of business. Judge Kwon explained the reason for issuing the arrest warrant, stating, "There is sufficient evidence of major criminal charges, and there is a risk of evidence destruction or flight. The necessity and appropriateness of detention are also recognized."

At the time of the accident, he said, "Handle the accident first," and "If the patient dies, I will take responsibility." However, when he appeared at the court for the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant substantive examination) that day, he gave a different statement. When asked by reporters, "You said you would take responsibility if the patient dies, so how will you take responsibility?" Choi replied, "I don't know what you're talking about," and headed into the courtroom. When asked, "Do you have anything to say to the bereaved family?" he waved his hand dismissively, saying "Nothing," and remained silent to other questions.

However, after the hearing, when Choi came out of the courthouse, he responded to the question, "Did you know the patient was an emergency case?" by saying, "I will sincerely cooperate with the investigation going forward." When asked if he had anything to say to the bereaved family, he said, "I express my regret."

Earlier, Choi is suspected of deliberately causing a minor collision with a private ambulance on a road near Godeok Station on Subway Line 5 in Gangdong-gu on the afternoon of the 8th of last month, and blocking it for about 10 minutes while saying, "Handle the accident first" (special assault and obstruction of business).

The ambulance was transporting a 79-year-old stage 4 lung cancer patient who was experiencing breathing difficulties to the hospital. The patient was transferred to another 119 ambulance, arrived at the hospital, and received treatment but ultimately passed away around 9 p.m. that day.

This case became widely known and sparked public outrage after the deceased patient's son filed a petition on the Blue House website demanding punishment for the taxi driver. The petition titled "Please punish the taxi driver who blocked the ambulance with an emergency patient" has received support from over 720,000 people so far. Many expressed anger at Choi's actions in blocking the ambulance despite the presence of an emergency patient. Criticism intensified after the patient eventually died. At the time of the accident, Choi was identified as a taxi driver who had been employed at a taxi company in Gangdong-gu for about three weeks and resigned on the 22nd of last month, two weeks after the accident.

Meanwhile, the police have initially booked Choi on charges of obstruction of business and are also investigating whether charges such as murder by implied intent can be applied.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.