The death of a man in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, has sparked a row over police response, with the man having been killed after being brought under police custody.
According to reports, the deceased, a man in his 20s, was killed after he was run over by a bus while lying on the road in the early hours of Aug. 13.
According to Osan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Monday, officers were dispatched to a restaurant in response to a report by the restaurant owner at 1:59 a.m. on Aug. 13.
When two police officers from a nearby district were dispatched, the man was alone in the restaurant and had fallen asleep drunk.
Police asked fire authorities for a joint response, and the man reportedly became responsive while paramedics checked his blood pressure.
Police officers then placed the man in the patrol car and requested his home address several times, but the man allegedly repeatedly requested to be dropped off near Osan Station, saying he could return home by himself.
Police dropped him off at 2:28 a.m. near a restaurant in front of Osan Station.
However, the man then wandered into the road and laid down in the middle of the bus lane. About 50 minutes after getting out of the patrol car, an express bus drove over him at 3:20 a.m. The man was taken to a hospital with injuries to his head, but failed to recover.
The bus driver reportedly stated that he was unaware of the man on the road.
The family of the deceased is allegedly protesting that police should have taken measures to prevent the accident.
Police said they are not considering disciplinary action, as they judged there was no serious negligence by the officers responding at the scene.
“The police officers asked for the man’s address several times after putting him in the patrol car, and as he did not tell them about his residence, it was difficult to drop him off near his house. Also, considering that he thanked the police officers and crossed the crosswalk while recognizing the pedestrian signal, it seemed that he could return home without difficulty,” police responded.
