Unsplash.com: Anthony MawA vigilante YouTuber from South Korea has been indicted on suspicion of being involved in a fatal car accident that he filmed as part of a chase with a drunk driver.
A 41-year-old man with the last name ‘Choi’ was accused of involvement in the crash by the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday, April 28.
Choi, known as the ‘drunk driver hunter’ on YouTube, often broadcasts himself cruising down the roads of South Korea attempting to catch and report drunk drivers to police.
On September 22, 2024, Choi reportedly alerted authorities that a man in his mid-30s was driving an SUV while allegedly under the influence. He began to pursue the vehicle in a chase that he streamed on YouTube.
Unsplash.com: Kashish LambaSouth Korean YouTuber faces legal action after live streaming car chase
He wasn’t the only one taking matters into his own hands, though; two of his subscribers also joined the chase, which caused the SUV driver to plow into a large, parked truck, killing him.
The charges against Choi include “joint intimidation under the Punishment of Violence Act,” with courts alleging he was both “directly and indirectly” responsible for the September 2024 accident.
The YouTuber is also facing additional charges over a separate incident from 2023. Courts are accusing him of unlawfully detaining a supposedly sober driver, whom he reportedly prevented from exiting their vehicle.
11 of Choi’s subscribers are being indicted, as well, for reportedly participating in the September 2024 car chase in some way, as per local news outlets.
Prosecutors have made it clear that they’re going all-out against ‘vigilantes’ who take the law into their own hands.
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“We will respond firmly to crimes that cause danger to an unspecified number of people under the pretext of vigilantism,” officials said.
South Korea is quite strict about driving under the influence. A blood alcohol level of 0.03% constitutes drunk driving in the country – a stark contrast to the United States’ cutoff of 0.08%. Punishments can range from getting your license revoked for up to 90 days, fines, and up to a year in prison.
This is just the latest influencer to get into legal trouble over car-related content; a YouTuber from the ‘DailyDrivenExotics’ channel accused California police of “illegal entrapment” after he and his friend were stopped for going ‘too slow’ on the highway in their supercars in March.
And in May 2024, notorious street racer and car influencer Squeez Benz was arrested after streaming himself weaving in and out of traffic after pulling a hit-and-run.