Police apprehend driver after fatal hit-and-run in Cheonan

A male driver was apprehended by police after allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian while drunk and fleeing the scene in Cheonan, South Chungcheong.

A pedestrian is seen crossing a street in Seonggeo-eup, Seobuk District in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, seconds before being hit by a drunk driver, in this screen capture from Yonhap News TV [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A male driver was apprehended by police after allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian while drunk and fleeing the scene in Cheonan, South Chungcheong.

The Seobuk Police Precinct in Cheonan said on Saturday that it is investigating the man on charges related to the hit-and-run incident under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The incident is alleged to have occured at around 7 a.m. on Saturday on a road in Seonggeo-eup, Seobuk District, Cheonan.

CCTV footage released by Yonhap News TV on Monday showed a vehicle speeding down the road and striking a person wearing a white face mask as they crossed. After the crash, the vehicle appeared to come to a brief stop before driving off without taking any action. The pedestrian died at the scene.

Roughly an hour later, the driver called the police himself and reported, “I think I hit a dog while driving.” He was arrested on the spot after investigators reviewed dashcam footage and other evidence.

At first, the man falsely claimed he hit a dog, but later admitted during police questioning that he thought it might have been a person, according to a police official.

Police believe the man's blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was above the threshold for license suspension. They have requested an arrest warrant and are investigating the exact circumstances of the crash.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JANG GU-SEUL [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]