In a spectacular hit-and-run, a local woman was arrested for drunk driving early Friday, after driving across the flyover in Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues near Hotel Beverly Plaza in the wrong direction, side-swiping a taxi, which injured the cabbie, before speeding away from the scene, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong said in a regular press conference yesterday.
The suspect surnamed Chio is in her thirties and told the police that she works as a saleswoman.
According to Lai, the injured taxi driver called the police from the scene at about 4:20 a.m. on Friday. He told the police that his taxi was hit by a white private car which was driving in the wrong direction when he was heading to Hotel Lisboa, and after the crash the driver sped away immediately in direction to the Orient Arch monument.
Lai said the crash damaged the right side of the taxi including the door mirror. The cabbie sustained minor injuries and reported to the police before he went to the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre for outpatient treatment.
According to Lai, the police were able to track down the white car to the car park of a residential building in Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues. The vehicle’s right front and right door mirror were damaged. The police contacted Chio, who owns the car, nine hours after the accident. Lai said that Chio confessed that she had been drinking at a friend’s house five hours before the hit-and-run. She told the police that she had got into the wrong lane when driving towards the flyover. She blamed roadworks in the area for her mistake.
Chio was given a breathalyser test which showed that her alcohol concentration was 0.63 grammes of alcohol per litre of blood, according to Lai.
Chio was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing charges of dangerous driving, causing bodily harm by negligence and abandoning the victim of a traffic accident, according to Lai.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man (left) and Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong pose during the two police forces’ joint press conference yesterday. Photo: Camy Tam
