Taxi Driver Arrested and Sent to Prosecution for Blocking Ambulance and Obstructing Emergency Patient Transport

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A taxi driver who was criticized for blocking an ambulance involved in a minor collision, resulting in the death of an emergency patient, has been arrested and handed over to the prosecution.

The Gangdong Police Station in Seoul announced on the morning of the 30th that they had sent taxi driver Choi Mo (31, detained), who is accused of special assault (intentional accident) and obstruction of business, to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Choi is accused of 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. If the patient dies, I will take responsibility."

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

This incident sparked public outrage after the deceased patient's son posted a petition on the Blue House website earlier this month requesting punishment for the taxi driver. So far, 730,000 people have agreed to the petition.

The police applied for an arrest warrant for Choi on the 21st of this month, and the court issued the warrant, stating there was a risk of evidence destruction or flight.

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