Suspected drunk driver rams 11 vehicles, injures officer before police gunfire stops Mercedes

A man in his 30s suspected of drunk driving led police on a roughly 20-kilometer chase through Daegu, ramming 11 vehicles and injuring an officer before police fired live rounds to stop his Mercedes.

The Daegu Gangbuk Police Station said Wednesday it had apprehended a man identified only as A and was investigating him on charges including obstruction of official duties by force. He fled the scene of a collision and struck police vehicles and an officer during the pursuit. A woman in her 30s, identified as B, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was also arrested on charges of aiding and abetting drunk driving.

According to Yonhap, A was driving a Mercedes near the Gugwu Tunnel in Buk-gu at around 2:03 a.m. Wednesday when he sideswiped a 5.1-ton cargo truck. Officers who responded ordered him to get out of the vehicle, but he refused and fled.

Police later received a tip from a citizen reporting suspected drunk driving and tracked A down, surrounding his vehicle in front of his residence and again ordering him to exit. He attempted to flee a second time.

In the process, he struck eight civilian vehicles and two police cars and hit an officer, fracturing the officer's femur.

A's rampage ended only after police opened fire. Officers first discharged a blank round, then fired four live rounds into the front and rear tires of the Mercedes.

When A stepped out of the vehicle, officers subdued him with a Taser and arrested him and B at around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday.

The investigation revealed that A's reckless driving had begun before the Gugwu Tunnel collision. A report of suspected drunk driving involving his vehicle had already been filed at around 1:41 a.m. on a road in Suseong-gu, and a separate report came in from Dong-gu alleging that A had assaulted a taxi driver.

A was also found to have rammed a police car pursuing him near the Goseong district police post in Buk-gu before fleeing.

The total distance A traveled — from Suseong-gu through Dong-gu and Jung-gu to his residence in Buk-gu — was about 20 kilometers. A total of 11 vehicles were damaged along the way, including nine civilian cars and two police vehicles.

Both A and B refused police requests to take a breathalyzer test.

"We plan to review whether to seek an arrest warrant," a police official said.