Civilians chase, catch hit-run driver

A black box owner, with two sedans in front, chases a hit-run driver in Gwangju in July. / Courtesy of Facebook

By Ko Dong-hwan

Gwangju police have praised three people who went after and nabbed a hit-run driver.

The scene, recorded on one driver’s black box about 5:20 a.m. on July 19, shows a car behind a sedan stopped at a red light. A white truck crosses the intersection on a green light but a black car goes through a red light and hits the truck. The black car quickly flees the scene.

The black box owner then chases the black car, joined by the sedan in front and another sedan near the intersection.

The high-octane chase lasts less than 20 seconds after the hit-run driver gives up and pulls over. The three drivers then surround the man’s car.

“With the help of three brave citizens, the hit-run driver has been brought down,” Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency said in a video posted on

its official Facebook page

on Sept. 2. They said the driver had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent and had three drunk-driving convictions. He was booked on a charge of causing an accident through drunk driving.