A South Korean businessman hit and injured a motorist with his Hyundai SUV on Saturday, then fled the scene of the accident and drove 3 km before his car burst into flames and he was arrested, according to traffic police.
Lee Sun Hong, 34, the owner of the Mekong River Restaurant in Phnom Penh, was driving in Tuol Kok district’s Toek La’ak I commune in the early hours of Saturday morning when he collided with San Rasy and knocked him off his motorbike, then sped away, according to Seng Chanthon, deputy chief of the municipal traffic police’s traffic offense section.
“He did not stop his car because he was out of control because he was drunk. He tried to escape,” Mr. Chanthon said Sunday.
As the Korean man drove away from the scene, his SUV dragged the motorbike along with it, sparking a gasoline leak that led both vehicles to catch fire, he said.
“The car dragged the motorbike from Trolok Bek to the Camko City neighborhood, which is about 3 km away,” Mr. Chanthon said. “The motorbike was dragged and had…gasoline leaking. The motorbike was burning, and the car was burning too.”
Mr. Lee was finally forced to abandon his car when the fire became too serious and was apprehended by police just outside Camko City, he said.
According to Tin Vansy, a municipal traffic police officer, Mr. Lee was sent to court Sunday to face possible charges in the case. Court officials could not be reached.
Mr. Rasy, the victim, said Sunday that he had agreed not to file a complaint against Mr. Lee because the Korean man had given him $1,900 “to finish the case.”
Mr. Rasy said he lost consciousness after the crash and was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for injuries to his face and shoulder before being discharged later that day.
