Suspect in deadly Maserati hit-and-run handed over to prosecution

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Suspect in deadly Maserati hit-and-run handed over to prosecution

Published: 04 Oct. 2024, 11:41

Kim, charged with fleeing the scene after causing a fatal hit-and-run accident, is being escorted to a detention center at Gwangju Seobu Police Station on Sept. 27. [YONHAP]

The man behind the wheel of a Maserati involved in a fatal hit-and-run was handed over to the prosecution on Friday.

The Gwangju Seobu Police Precinct handed the 32-year-old suspect, surnamed Kim, over to the prosecution on charges of fleeing from the crime scene under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

Kim was arrested on Sept. 26 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, 67 hours after he allegedly crashed his white Maserati into a couple in their 20s on a motorcycle in Gwangju while under the influence of alcohol.

The motorcycle was flung across a distance of 100 meters (328 feet), seriously injuring the man and killing the woman.

After the accident, Kim fled to Daejeon with the help of accomplices. He booked a flight ticket to Thailand in an attempt to flee abroad, but his plans were thwarted when an emergency overseas travel ban was issued.

Kim continued to evade capture by using cash to take public transportation, such as taxis and airport limousine buses, and wandering through places such as Seoul after passing through Incheon Airport.

Kim admitted to the charges during the police investigation, stating, "I realized I hit someone. I was drunk, and when I heard the police sirens, I got scared and fled."

Kim's high school friend Oh, who is accused of aiding Kim’s escape by providing him with a burner phone, was also handed over to the prosecution on charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive.

As Kim and Oh were transferred from the police detention center to the prosecution at 7:50 a.m., they admitted to their crimes and issued an apology to the press.

The investigations into Kim’s case also revealed questions such as possible ties to overseas organized crime operations and the possibility that the Maserati he was driving was stolen. Police are investigating further into other criminal possibilities separately from the hit-and-run incident.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]