Driver fleeing sobriety checkpoint crashes into bus, killing 2 and injuring 6

A man in his 20s fleeing a police sobriety checkpoint crashed his car into a bus Thursday, killing two people and injuring six others.

According to the Pyeongtaek Police Station, a Tesla sedan traveling straight collided with an express bus making a left turn toward the Anseong interchange on the Gyeongbu Expressway at an intersection in Hapjeong-dong, Pyeongtaek, at around 8:51 p.m. Thursday.

The Tesla's driver, a man in his 20s identified only by his surname, and a woman in her 20s who was riding with him both died in the crash.

Six others — including the bus driver and passengers — were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Investigators said the driver had refused to stop at a sobriety checkpoint 2.7 kilometers away and fled before running through the intersection, which was operating under a flashing yellow signal.

Police believe he was speeding in a zone with a 50-kilometer-per-hour limit and are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances of the crash.

Meanwhile, refusals to submit to breathalyzer tests number in the thousands each year and have become an increasingly serious social concern.