A 21-year-old Kazakh national was arrested for allegedly blocking a car and damaging it while threatening its driver in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday.
The man allegedly chased a car driven by a man in his 30s at around 11:40 p.m. on July 29. After blocking the car with his own vehicle, he got out and kicked the front of the victim’s car, according to police.
The incident went viral after a YouTuber shared dashcam footage of the confrontation. However, poor lighting on the rural road made it difficult to identify the suspect vehicle’s license plate, and the case was classified as unsolved in mid-September.
Police resumed the investigation and arrested the suspect at around 8:25 p.m. Friday in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. Investigators recovered part of the vehicle’s license plate through a detailed analysis by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency’s forensic investigation team.
Using the partial plate number and the vehicle’s make and model, police identified the car and found a sales listing and contact information on a social media account used by foreign residents in Korea to trade vehicles.
The suspect's vehicle has been seized by the authorities.
The suspect reportedly told police that he had chased the victim’s car after mistaking it for the vehicle of a foreign national who had failed to buy his car.
Another Kazakh national, a 25-year-old man, was allegedly present at the scene. However, he had already been deported in early October in a separate immigration measure after being found without valid documentation.
Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the 21-year-old suspect and considering an international manhunt for his alleged accomplice, who is believed to be staying overseas.
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