Suspect struck motorcycle, bus and taxi in succession at Bangbang intersection; 3 others injured

Blood alcohol level above license-revocation threshold; police to refer case to prosecutors after detention

Court logo. [Yonhap]
Court logo. [Yonhap]

A man in his 40s who drove a Maserati while drunk and struck multiple vehicles at Bangbang intersection in Seoul's Seocho-gu, killing a motorcycle rider, was taken into custody Sunday.

Han Jeong-won, a duty judge at Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified only by his surname Hwang, after conducting a pre-detention hearing on charges including aggravated punishment under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Crimes — specifically dangerous driving causing death. The judge cited a risk of flight as grounds for the warrant.

Hwang is accused of driving the Maserati while heavily intoxicated near Bangbang intersection in Seocho-gu at around 11:40 p.m. Thursday and striking a motorcycle, a bus and a taxi in quick succession. His blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was above the threshold for license revocation.

A delivery worker in his 40s who had been riding the motorcycle was rushed to a nearby hospital in cardiac arrest but was pronounced dead. Three others — a bus passenger, a taxi driver and a pedestrian — were also taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Officers who responded to the scene arrested Hwang on the spot. Seoul Suseo Police Station applied for an arrest warrant Saturday afternoon. Police, having secured custody of Hwang, plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the crash before referring the case to prosecutors.


psj@heraldcorp.com