A man suspected of causing a fatal car accident while driving under the influence was arrested Tuesday morning.
Officers from Seongnam Sujeong Police Station took the man into custody for allegedly hitting a man in his 30s who was riding an electric bicycle in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam city in Gyeonggi Province at around 4:10 a.m. The driver reportedly fled the scene without attempting to assist the victim.
The victim sustained a critical injury and died despite receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
Police officers tracked the suspect to his home 1.5 kilometers from the crime scene, and apprehended him at around 7 a.m. with an emergency arrest -- which allows police to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours without a warrant when the suspect presents a risk of destroying evidence or of fleeing. The suspect had attempted to discard the memory card inside his car's black box, and told the officers that he had only consumed alcohol after he got home.
The suspect later confessed that he was already under the influence of alcohol when he was driving. His blood alcohol content was higher than the 0.08 percent threshold that warrants revocation of one's driver's license, but the exact BAC was withheld by the authorities.
Investigators found that his license had been taken away three years ago after he caused a car accident while drunk.
