A South Korean driver, who a YouTube vigilante suspected was intoxicated, died in a car crash during a livestreamed chase.
Gwangju Gwangsan Police reported that around 3:50 AM on September 22 in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, a man crashed his SUV into a parked truck during what appeared to be a high-speed chase initiated by a YouTuber known for exposing drunk drivers.
The 35-year-old driver collided with a cement transport trailer parked on the shoulder near a gas station in Sanwol-dong, Gwangsan-gu. The impact caused his BMW to catch fire and burn completely. He was taken to the hospital but later died from his severe injuries.
The accident also caused property damage estimated at around 13 million South Korean won ($9,740).
A man in his 30s fleeing from a #YouTuber tracking suspected drunk drivers died after crashing into a trailer in #Gwangju. https://t.co/GPKqVdDRDI
— The Korea JoongAng Daily (@JoongAngDaily) September 24, 2024
The YouTuber, who refers to himself as the “Gwangju Sheriff” and is also known online as the “Drunk Drivers Hunter,” often shares videos of car chases involving suspected drunk drivers. He has over 70,000 subscribers on the platform.
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While livestreaming on the day of the incident, the content creator assumed his vigilante role by confronting the driver and asking if he was intoxicated, which the man denied. Despite this, the YouTuber reported him to the police for suspected drunk driving.
His livestream, which had around 400 viewers, captured the chase but missed the exact moment of the crash, which happened about two minutes into the pursuit. The video is no longer available on his YouTube channel.
A police official said, “We will examine the exact causal relationship between the YouTuber’s pursuit and the accident.”
Police stated that surveillance footage showed no sign of the YouTuber closely following the driver before the accident. However, the investigation is still ongoing to determine if the driver was under the influence of alcohol and if there was any direct connection between the chase and the accident.