"Can You Let Me Off?" Taxi Driver Chases Drunk Driver After Passenger Drops Off

A taxi driver who was carrying passengers played a decisive role in catching a vehicle that fled after causing a drunk driving accident.

Taxi chasing a drunk driving vehicle Photo by Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency

On the 1st, Yonhap News reported that the Suwon Western Police Station in Gyeonggi Province awarded a letter of appreciation and a reward to taxi driver Park Ji-hoon (42), who provided crucial help in catching the vehicle that fled after a drunk driving accident.

On February 28 at around 2:30 a.m., Park witnessed a vehicle that, while making a left turn on a road in a children's protection zone in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province, crashed into a pedestrian road and damaged traffic safety facilities, then fled without taking any action. Suspecting drunk driving, Park decided to pursue the vehicle. After witnessing the accident, he immediately reported it to 112 and chased the vehicle for about 2 km to the underground parking lot of the apartment where the driver, Mr. A, lived, informing the police of the escape situation.

At the time, Park had one passenger in his taxi. Concerned that the suspected drunk driving vehicle might cause secondary accidents, he asked the passenger for understanding and had them get off midway. Park said, "I thought I had to catch it no matter what, so I asked the passenger, 'Could you get off first?' and the reply was, 'Sir, please go ahead and catch it quickly.'" He added, "It was the prime time for work, but that didn’t matter. I did it because I was worried the vehicle might cause second or third accidents."

Thanks to Park notifying the police of the escape, officers were dispatched to the scene and arrested Mr. A. The blood alcohol concentration of Mr. A was found to be at the level warranting license cancellation.

The Suwon Western Police Station in Gyeonggi (Chief Kim Jaewang) is presenting a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Park Jihoon.
[Photo by Suwon Western Police Station]

The police awarded Park a letter of appreciation and a reward for his decisive help in catching the vehicle that fled after the drunk driving accident. Kim Jae-kwang, chief of the Suwon Western Police Station, said, "We express our gratitude to the citizen who put aside his livelihood to help community safety," and added, "Our police will do our utmost to protect the peaceful daily lives of the people."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency has been conducting a promotional campaign called "Protecting Peaceful Daily Life" since last month, discovering and publicizing cases where the community has come together to protect the peaceful daily lives of citizens.

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