Court Rejects Arrest Warrant for Driver in 'Sicheong Station Wrong-Way Driving Accident'

"Attendance Refusal Makes Conclusion Difficult"
Police Conduct First Suspect Interrogation on the 4th

An arrest warrant for the driver involved in the 'Sicheong Station Intersection Wrong-Way Driving Accident,' which resulted in 16 casualties, was dismissed by the court.

According to the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station on the 4th, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the arrest warrant for the driver, Cha (68), the day before.

On the morning of the 2nd, debris from the accident was scattered on the sidewalk near the intersection by Seoul City Hall Station, where a major traffic accident occurred the previous day. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The court stated the reason for dismissal, saying, "There is no reason to believe that the suspect would not appear, and it is difficult to conclude the necessity of arrest."

In this regard, the Namdaemun Police Station conveyed their position, saying, "We will promptly proceed with the investigation to ascertain the substantive truth."

Meanwhile, the police plan to conduct the first suspect interrogation of Cha, who was booked on charges of professional negligence causing death and injury under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling, in the afternoon. Currently, Cha is hospitalized with fractured ribs. The police plan to visit the hospital where Cha is admitted to conduct the investigation.

Earlier, at around 9:27 p.m. on the 1st, an accident occurred near the Sicheong Station intersection in Seoul, where a Genesis vehicle driven by Cha crashed onto the sidewalk. The vehicle struck a BMW and a Sonata consecutively before hitting pedestrians. As a result of this accident, a total of 9 people died and 7 were injured.