Drunk Passenger in His 30s Drags Substitute Driver for 1.5 km, Resulting in Driver's Death

Pushed Driver Out of the Seat, Drove With Door Open
Black Box Captures Suspected Assault... Claims "I Don't Remember"

An incident occurred in which a passenger in his 30s, under the influence of alcohol, pushed a substitute driver in his 60s out of the vehicle and drove for more than 1.5 kilometers, ultimately causing an accident that resulted in the substitute driver's death. Police have detained the passenger and referred him to the prosecution on charges including murder.

Image of police conducting a drunk driving crackdown. Unrelated to the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Daejeon Yuseong Police Station announced on the 26th that it had referred Mr. A, a man in his 30s, to the prosecution in custody on charges of murder and assault on a driver under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

At around 1:15 a.m. on November 14, near Gwanpyeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Mr. A got into an argument with Mr. B, a substitute driver in his 60s who was driving him, and pushed Mr. B out of the driver’s seat. Mr. A then drove the vehicle for about 1.5 kilometers with the door open, only stopping after crashing into a roadside guardrail.

During this incident, Mr. B, who was caught by his seatbelt with his upper body exposed and dragged along the road, suffered severe head injuries. He was transported to the hospital but ultimately died.

Police dispatched to the scene after a witness report secured CCTV footage showing the vehicle speeding with the door open and arrested Mr. A at the scene. It was reported that the vehicle’s black box recorded audio of Mr. A verbally and physically assaulting Mr. B.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A had been drinking with colleagues before requesting substitute driving services from Mr. B to travel to Cheongju, at which point he committed the crime. At the time of the accident, Mr. A’s blood alcohol concentration was at a level warranting license revocation, and he reportedly stated, "I do not remember because I was drunk."