Authorities continue probe of singer over taxi driver's hit and run death

Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) Prosecutors on Wednesday continued their investigation of singer Chiu Chun (邱軍), one day after Chiu was placed in incommunicado detention over a hit and run accident that killed a Keelung taxi driver late last year.

The case stems from an incident that occurred around 4 a.m. on Dec. 27, when a white sedan driving on Xinyi Road in central Keelung crashed into two taxi drivers talking at the side of the road, and then drove off without stopping.

The 25-year-old Chiu, who is believed to have been at the wheel of the car with his girlfriend and other acquaintances, was summoned for questioning by police on Dec. 29, and went on to perform at a New Year's Eve events in Chiayi and Pingtung days later.

One of the taxi drivers injured in the crash, a 48-year-old man surnamed Lee (李), died of his injuries on Jan. 3

As details of the crash gradually became public, Keelung prosecutors summoned Chiu for questioning on Tuesday, and later that day received court permission to hold him in incommunicado detention.

In a statement granting the request, the Keelung District Court said there was a risk Chiu might try to collude or destroy evidence as he is investigated for negligent homicide and fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident that resulted in death.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Keelung prosecutors declined to confirm or deny media reports that Chiu's girlfriend admitted he had been drinking alcohol before the crash.

According to the reports, because Chiu was first questioned more than a day after the crash and thus could not take a breathalyzer test, authorities had questioned employees from the restaurant he was at on Dec. 27 to see if they had any recollection of him drinking.

Meanwhile, prosecutors also seized Chiu's white sedan from a Taipei repair shop, discovering a spider web crack from the accident on the right side of the front windshield.

Prosecutors also found that the memory card from the vehicle's dashcam was missing, leading to concerns that Chiu might have destroyed video evidence of the crash, according to the reports, which cited anonymous sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Under Taiwanese law, Chiu can be detained incommunicado for two months under the current court order, or for a maximum of four months total, before prosecutors must either charge or release him.