Assailant Claims "Mutual Assault" After Brutally Beating 70-Year-Old Taxi Driver, But CCTV Tells a Different Story

[Anchor]

A 70-year-old taxi driver was assaulted by a man in his 20s in Dongseong-ro, Daegu. The assailant claims that he was also assaulted, but footage from dashcams and CCTV cameras suggests a completely different situation.

Reporter Kim Soo-yoon has the story.

[Reporter]

On a road in Dongseong-ro, Daegu, at 1:00 a.m. on June 20.

When a 70-year-old taxi driver, identified as Mr. A, honked his horn to avoid a potential collision with a nearby vehicle, a man in his 20s standing on the roadside suddenly began hurling profanities and kicked the taxi several times.

["Why did you honk? You son of a b****. You honked your horn."]

[Victim (Taxi Driver): "I honked because there was a risk of a side-swipe accident. But it seems the person on the street took offense to the sound. At some point, he came over and started kicking the front bumper of my car."]

When Mr. A protested and tried to get back into his car, the man dragged him into the middle of the five-lane road, knocked him down, and began the assault.

As Mr. A tried to flee, the man chased him, continuing to punch and kick him.

After briefly smoking a cigarette he bought at a convenience store with his companions, the man, seemingly still enraged, dragged Mr. A out of the taxi again, knocked him to the ground, and stomped on him.

[Victim (Taxi Driver): "I didn't even have time to think. I was just getting beaten. He kept following me around, beating me. Every time he caught me, he would beat me again."]

The assault, which lasted for over five minutes in the middle of the busy Dongseong-ro district, only stopped after bystanders intervened.

When police arrived at the scene, the assailant claimed that he had also been assaulted.

Mr. A, who suffered severe injuries including a back injury that requires five weeks of treatment, is currently unable to work as a taxi driver.

[Victim (Taxi Driver): "I'm actually scared. Because of the trauma, I don't even know if I can continue driving a taxi..."]

The Daegu Jungbu Police Station stated, "After reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence, we determined this was not a case of mutual assault. We have not booked Mr. A, and we are considering requesting an arrest warrant for the assailant on charges of assault resulting in injury."

(Video reporting: Jung Gyeong-mun | Video editing: Kim Jong-tae | Design: Jo Soo-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.