Drunk Person Calls Police Saying "I'm Dying"... Assaults Officers Upon Arrival Asking "Why Did You Come?"

Court: "Significant lack of compliance spirit, with little room for improvement"

A man in his 40s was sentenced to prison after assaulting police officers who responded to a 112 emergency call in which he claimed he was "going to die" while intoxicated.

According to Yonhap News on the 12th, Chief Judge Ahn Jae-hoon of the Criminal Division 2 at Cheongju District Court sentenced A (44), who was charged with obstruction of official duties, hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and violation of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving), to 3 years and 8 months in prison.

Cheongju District Court Photo by Yonhap News

A was prosecuted for assaulting two police officers who responded to a 112 call from his home in Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju City, while he was heavily intoxicated last June, using punches and kicks.

At the time, A also allegedly cursed at the officers when they asked why he had called 112, saying, "When did I ask you to come? I never called."

Additionally, on April 13 around 12:30 p.m., A drove a vehicle while intoxicated at a funeral hall in a hospital in Cheongju and collided with a motorcycle, causing injuries requiring eight weeks of medical treatment to the motorcyclist. At that time, A's blood alcohol concentration was 0.108%, a level that results in license cancellation.

It was confirmed that A had a history of three prior punishments for drunk driving.

During the trial, A claimed self-defense against the charge of obstruction of official duties, but the court rejected this, stating that the level of resistance and disturbance A caused during his arrest and the force used by the police officers were within the scope of what can be expected when apprehending a criminal.

Chief Judge Ahn explained the sentencing, saying, "The crime of obstruction of official duties is extremely serious in nature. The incident originated from the defendant’s attitude of calling the police to vent his anger whenever he was in a bad mood."

He added, "The defendant denies the charge of obstruction of official duties and shows no remorse, making severe punishment inevitable. Considering his consistently bad attitude in court, he shows a significant lack of respect for the law and little prospect for improvement."