A pedestrian offers a condolence prayer at a makeshift memorial near Exit No. 7 of City Hall Station on July 4, three days after the deadly car crash that resulted in nine casualties. (Yonhap)
The police sought an arrest warrant Wednesday for the driver behind the fatal car crash that killed nine pedestrians near Seoul city hall earlier this month, according to officials on Thursday.
On July 1, a sedan crashed into pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at an intersection near Exit No. 7 of Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The car drove in the wrong direction and hit the pedestrians before colliding with two other vehicles.
The crash resulted in nine fatalities, with seven injured.
The 68-year-old driver, identified by his surname Cha, claimed that the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration. He said the brakes were “stiff” and “did not function properly” at the time of the crash.
“Based on the gravity of the crime and the details of the investigation found so far, the police applied for an arrest warrant for Cha at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday,” said a Seoul Namdaemun Police Station official on Wednesday.
Unlike Cha’s testimony, an analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service on Cha’s vehicle revealed on July 11 that Cha had pressed the accelerator up to 90 percent of its full capacity and never pressed the brakes during the accident.
The police added on Thursday that they plan to announce more comprehensive investigation results once the case is handed over to the prosecutors. If prosecutors accept the police’s warrant application, Cha’s arrest could be reviewed as early as this weekend.
Meanwhile, Cha has been hospitalized since the accident after sustaining a broken rib.
Guardrails made out of steel are installed near Exit No. 7 of City Hall Station on Wednesday after a deadly car crash involving nine casualties took place on July 1 in the same area. (Yonhap)
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