Changchun police catch hit-and-run driver
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-08 13:25

The hit-and-run driver suspected of killing a 10-year-old girl in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province, on Tuesday has been detained.

Fu Zhongtao, 29, was caught in an Internet cafe in Shenyang, capital of neighbouring Liaoning Province on Friday.

He confessed to the crime, saying he fled in a bid to escape any legal responsibilities he would be forced to shoulder.

"I feel wicked, and I really fear being jailed for my crime," he was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

Fu said it was inhuman of him to hit the young girl, Xiao Jinping, and then drag her 3,000 metres beneath the wheels of his car as has been reported.

Local media outlets said that around 60 people witnessed the incident on Tuesday afternoon. Despite their shouting and pleading, Fu did not stop.

The tragedy happened when the girl and her father, uncle and aunt were on their way back from visiting a cousin at a Jilin provincial juvenile prison.

The girl died from her head injuries on the scene.

The incident shocked local police, who widened the dragnet to neighbouring provinces.

A special team of police officers were assigned to the case to hunt for the suspect.

The car involved in the tragedy, a white Lincoln, was found in a residential area in Changchun on Wednesday. It was reported that Fu borrowed the car from a friend.

"Time hung heavy on me as I waited for the handcuffs. I was a coward for not going to the police," Fu was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Fu has been transferred to the Changchun Public Security Bureau while investigations into the case continue.

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