Lee Yong-gyu, a playing coach for the Kiwoom Heroes of professional baseball, caused a crash while driving under the influence, ramming into a passenger car and then a police patrol car in succession. Two people received treatment in the accident.
According to police on the 12th, the coach, while intoxicated, was driving his own passenger car at about 6:25 a.m. on a six-lane arterial road in Acheon-dong, Guri, Gyeonggi Province, when he hit a passenger car that was making a U-turn from the opposite side. From the impact, the coach's car was deflected to the side and came to a stop after striking the rear of a patrol car that was parked on the roadside. A male driver in his 60s who was in the U-turning vehicle and one police officer who was in the patrol car suffered minor injuries and received hospital treatment.
Police believe the coach ran a red light while going straight and collided with a vehicle that was making a U-turn on a proper signal. A breath test conducted right after the crash reportedly showed the coach's blood alcohol concentration at a level warranting license revocation.
Police booked the coach on suspicion of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and are investigating the exact circumstances of the crash. The Kiwoom club has also learned of the accident and is said to be checking the details.