The driver of a Porsche vehicle that crashed through the main entrance of Sasha's and Zapata's in the early hours of the morning on Friday was drunk, Shanghai police have revealed.
Three people were injured, one seriously, as a result of the accident, which took place at the popular downtown Shanghai bar and restaurant located on the intersection of Dongping Lu and Hengshan Lu. The black Porsche plowed through the front gate from the southeast side and crashed into the Sasha's building at around 12.25am on Friday.
Image via WeChat
Police say that the 24-year-old driver, a local resident surnamed Zhou, had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 234mg/100ml at the time of the accident. That's ten times higher than the legal BAC limit in China (20mg/100ml), and nearly three times the minimum to be charged with the criminal offense of drunk driving (80mg/100ml).
All of those injured in the accident were Chinese citizens, though their injuries are not life-threatening. Police say a tourist who was visiting from out of town was seriously injured, while the other two suffered minor injuries. All three were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment immediately after emergency personnel arrived at the crash scene.
Zhou is now under police control, and an investigation into the incident is underway, according to local media reports. Meanwhile, both venues have since reopened and are operating as usual, though the front garden is temporarily closed.
China criminalized drunk driving in 2011, with DUI convictions carrying strict punishments. In cases like Zhou's, where the BAC exceeds 0.08 percent, drunk drivers can be imprisoned for up to three years and have their driving license suspended for five years. That can be upgraded to a lifetime suspension if the driver causes serious injuries or death.
[Top image via WeChat]
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