Off-duty officer chases suspected drunk driver 8 km, makes arrest

An off-duty police officer spotted a suspected drunk driver on his way home and pursued the vehicle until the driver was apprehended.

Senior Patrol Officer Kwon of the Seomyeon District Unit under Busanjin Police Station was riding in a friend's car in the early hours of Thursday when he noticed a vehicle ahead weaving out of its lane and driving erratically, according to Yonhap.

Kwon followed the vehicle for about 8 kilometers, relaying its direction in real time to the 112 emergency dispatch center. When the car stopped at a red light on a road in Dong-gu, Busan, he approached and ordered the driver out of the vehicle, taking the person into custody on the spot.

Kwon kept the driver from fleeing until officers from the local police box arrived. His friend also helped prevent secondary traffic accidents by standing behind the vehicle and directing traffic with hand signals.

The driver, a man in his 30s, registered a blood alcohol level above 0.08 percent — the threshold for license revocation under South Korean law.