SHENZHEN’S traffic police managed to seize a hit-and-run driver three hours after they received a report saying that a sanitation worker had been hit by a car early Sunday morning, according to a post released by the city’s traffic police on Weibo, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

At 3:40 a.m. Sunday, the traffic police in Dapeng New Area received a call from a passer-by, who reported that a sanitation worker had been injured and was lying on the ground near Yingjie Kindergarten on Pengxin Road. Traffic police officers rushed to the scene immediately, and confirmed that it was a hit-and-run accident after a preliminary investigation.

The traffic police promptly retrieved the surveillance videos and seized the suspected vehicle and the driver in a residential community at 6:30 a.m. The driver took a breath alcohol test, and was suspected of drunken driving.

At present, the sanitation worker is in stable condition and remains in the hospital for treatment. The case is under further investigation.

The city’s traffic police have recently been in local media headlines for their quick response and effective actions in solving hit-and-run cases.

Two weeks ago, a taxi driver was busted for a hit-and-run by Shenzhen traffic police. The cabbie was reported for bumping into two segregation poles on the street at the intersection between Jingtian No. 1 North Street and Jingtian Road, after which he accelerated away and almost hit a sanitation worker.

The Futian traffic police tracked down the suspected vehicle immediately and seized the cabbie within 24 hours after being tipped off by a netizen on their Weibo microblog account. The cabbie pleaded guilty to driving away after damaging traffic facilities and was fined 10,000 yuan (US$1,487). In addition, 12 penalty points were added to his driver’s license, which was suspended for three months.

(Zhang Yu)