Desperate Didi driver downs dustbin drudge
A 34-YEAR-OLD man has been held by police after knocking down a street cleaner while fleeing from authorities who were attempting to ticket him for illegally parking on Tuesday morning.
The incident took place at the crossroads of Sichuan Road M. and Hankou Road in Huangpu District at 9:25am, police said.
The man, surnamed Li, knocked down a street cleaner and hit a police car parked on the roadside while trying to escape. He was caught by police soon after.
The street cleaner was not seriously injured and has left hospital. Nobody else was injured.
Li is a registered driver with online taxi hailing services Didi, but there were no passengers in his car at the time of the incident.
Li already had 10 demerit points on his driver’s license.
Because he was parking in a restricted area, he would have had another three points deducted, which means his license would be revoked, police said.
“He begged the police officer not to record the points on his driver’s license and lost his temper after being denied,” Zhang Zhikang, a police officer at the scene, said.
Didi has announced that it has blocked Li’s account on the platform following news of the incident.
Li was driving a car with a Shanghai plate.
He was not driving after drinking nor under the influence of drugs, but faces detention on charges of endangering public safety, police said.
In December 2016, the city traffic authority issued a regulation in which it stressed online ride-hailing must be conducted by a driver with local (residency) and local plate.
But the ride-hailing companies have been neglecting the rules as large number of the drivers are not locals.