The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Driver dies after being chased by YouTuber for alleged drunk driving

By No Kyung-min

Published : Sept. 24, 2024 - 13:55

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Firefighters extinguish a vehicle fire from a fatal car accident that resulted in the driver's death, in Gwangju, Sunday. (Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station) Firefighters extinguish a vehicle fire from a fatal car accident that resulted in the driver's death, in Gwangju, Sunday. (Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station)

A driver suspected of driving under the influence by a YouTuber died in a car accident during a livestreamed car chase, police said Tuesday.

According to Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, at 3:50 a.m. on Sunday in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, a male driver in his 30s crashed his sport utility vehicle into a parked truck during what appeared to be a high-speed chase initiated by a YouTuber known for exposing drunk drivers.

The YouTuber, whose channel has over 70,000 subscribers, mostly posts videos of car chases involving suspected drunk drivers.

On the day of the accident, the YouTuber, while livestreaming, took on his vigilante role by approaching the driver and questioning if he was intoxicated, which the driver denied. Nevertheless, the YouTuber called police to report him for alleged drunk driving.

The livestream, which had over 400 viewers, captured the chase, but missed the exact moment of the subsequent crash, which occurred approximately two minutes after the pursuit began.

The video was inaccessible on the YouTuber's channel as of Tuesday.

Police officials have said that surveillance footage shows no evidence of the YouTuber having closely followed the driver before the accident.

Yet, further investigation is ongoing to determine if the driver was indeed driving under the influence of alcohol and if there was a direct link between the chase and the accident.