Incumbent Police Officer Indicted for Attempting to Cover Up Drunk Driving

An incumbent police officer has been indicted for instructing others to destroy a vehicle's dashcam memory card to cover up a drunk driving incident involving a former police officer who is his junior from university.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Inspector A of the Seoul Jongno Police Station without detention on charges of instigating the destruction of evidence.

The junior, B, who drove under the influence, and C, who destroyed the memory card under Inspector A's direction, were also indicted without detention on charges of drunk driving and destruction of evidence, respectively.

The three individuals were at a drinking gathering in July 2024. While waiting for a designated driver, B drove his vehicle across a main road and crashed into a guardrail.

When police arrived at the scene, Inspector A and C retrieved the dashcam memory card from the vehicle.

Investigations revealed that at the scene of the drunk driving accident, Inspector A told C to "destroy the dashcam memory card and claim that a designated driver was behind the wheel."

Initially, during the police investigation, B claimed that "the car moved automatically while the auto-hold function, which maintains the braking state when stopped, was engaged." However, the prosecution confirmed through supplementary investigations, including a vehicle demonstration, that B had intentionally pressed the pedal.

The Seoul Gangnam Police Station, which initially investigated the case, referred the suspects to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment in April of last year.

The prosecution stated, "We will respond strictly to ensure that those who undermine the judicial system receive punishment commensurate with their crimes."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.