Drunk Driving Proxy Driver Destroys Customer's Vehicle... Ultimately Arrested and Indicted

Visiting Reported Driver's Home and Damaging Vehicle

A designated driver who was caught driving under the influence went to threaten the vehicle owner who reported him and even damaged the vehicle, leading to his prosecution.

The Criminal Division 3 of the Western Branch of Busan District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jang Wook-hwan) announced on the 12th that a man in his 40s, Mr. A, was arrested and indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (retaliatory threats, etc.) and violation of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving).

Mr. A is accused of driving a vehicle as a designated driver while intoxicated on the morning of the 27th of last month. It is reported that he was caught driving under the influence by police officers who arrived after he had an argument with the vehicle owner, Mr. B.

Drunk driving crackdown. This image is provided to help understand the article and is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, Mr. A is accused of harboring resentment against Mr. B, who reported him to the police, visiting his home to threaten him, and kicking and damaging the vehicle.

This case recently drew attention after Mr. B posted his story on an online community. On the day of the incident, the 27th of last month, Mr. B wrote on the community, "Around 4 a.m., after having a drink at a friend's house, I called a designated driver to get home, but the driver kept nagging me with foul language," adding, "When I told him to drive properly, Mr. A suddenly stopped the car and said, 'Get out for a moment.'"

Afterwards, Mr. A reportedly called the police himself, saying, "I can't communicate with the person who called the designated driver, so please come quickly," and filed a report. When the police arrived, they initially tried to mediate the situation amicably, but suddenly Mr. A took Mr. B's car and fled.

The police caught Mr. A and conducted a drunk driving test. Mr. A's blood alcohol concentration was 0.217%, a level warranting license cancellation due to severe intoxication. After calling another designated driver and returning home, Mr. B received a series of threatening messages from Mr. A, including "I will destroy your car." Feeling anxious, Mr. B checked the parking lot in front of his house and found that the side mirror and turn signal lever had indeed been damaged.