Unlicensed driver steals bus and speeds through town, 'just like the movies'

This screen grab of video footage distributed by the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency shows a man in his 50s stealing and driving a bus in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. (Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency)

A quiet town in North Chungcheong Province became the scene of a dramatic police chase when an unlicensed driver in his 50s sped through its streets in a stolen bus.

"I saw the key in the bus and had the impulse to drive ... It felt like I was shooting a movie when the cop cars started chasing me," the suspect was quoted as saying, according to Jincheon Police Station in Jincheon-gun. Police said Thursday that the case has been forwarded to the prosecution for charges of theft, special obstruction of official duties and unlicensed driving.

The man reportedly saw the unattended bus at a bus terminal in Jincheon at around 2 p.m. on May 31, and took off in the vehicle despite bus drivers' attempts to stop him. Police received reports of the incident and began to chase him, but the suspect would not stop or slow down, even for red lights or in school zones.

The wild chase continued for 10 kilometers and eventually ended when patrol cars surrounded the bus. When the suspect refused to get off the bus, police broke the glass on the bus door and dragged him out.

Investigators found that the suspect had obtained and lost his license to drive large vehicles, such as buses, in the past. His family testified that the suspect has mental health issues and had been off his medication for several days before the accident.