Driver whose car struck pedestrians in South Korea will face accidental homicide investigation

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A driver whose car struck pedestrians waiting at a crowded intersection in South Korea's capital, killing nine people, will be investigated on allegations of accidental homicide, police said Tuesday.

The car hit several people Monday night in central Seoul, after reportedly going in the wrong direction and colliding with two other cars. Six other people were injured, including the driver who was detained.

The driver told investigators that his car accelerated abruptly and unintentionally, reported South Korean media.

Senior police officer Jung Yong Woo told local reporters the suspect's car would be sent to the country’s forensic agency for an examination. Authorities are considering whether to seek a formal arrest warrant for the driver, Jung said.

Officials said Tuesday that tests showed the driver wasn’t under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The suspect has been hospitalized but authorities refused to disclose his identity and contact information, citing privacy regulations. South Korean media said he was a bus driver in his late 60s from Ansan, a city just south of Seoul, with 40 years of driving experience.

A woman places flowers at a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit several people Monday night, after reportedly going in the wrong direction and colliding with two other cars killing multiple people. The driver will be investigated on allegations of accidental homicide, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Flowers are placed at a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit several people Monday night, after reportedly going in the wrong direction and colliding with two other cars killing multiple people. The driver will be investigated on allegations of accidental homicide, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man prays for victims at a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit several people Monday night, after reportedly going in the wrong direction and colliding with two other cars killing multiple people. The driver will be investigated on allegations of accidental homicide, police said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers investigate a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, early Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers investigate a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers investigate a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers arrive at the scene of a car accident near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Rescuers stand near wreckage at the site of a car accident near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers control a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car slammed into pedestrians in central Seoul on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring four others, officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers control a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Rescuers and police officers arrive at the scene of a car accident near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car slammed into pedestrians in central Seoul on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring four others, officials said. (Seo Dae-yeon/Yonhap via AP)

Police officers control a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car slammed into pedestrians in central Seoul on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring four others, officials said. (Seo Dae-yeon/Yonhap via AP)

Police officers investigate a car accident scene near Seoul City Hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 1, 2024. A car slammed into pedestrians in central Seoul on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring four others, officials said. (Seo Dae-yeon/Yonhap via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading House Democrat is preparing a constitutional amendment in response to the Supreme Court's landmark immunity ruling, seeking to reverse the decision “and ensure that no president is above the law.”

Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to colleagues informing them of his intent to file the resolution, which would kickstart what's traditionally a cumbersome amendment process.

"This amendment will do what SCOTUS failed to do — prioritize our democracy,” Morelle said in a statement to AP.

In referring to Donald Trump, Morelle said the former president "must be held accountable for his decisions. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and stand with me on the front line to protect our democracy.”

It's the most significant legislative response yet to the decision this week from the court's conservative majority, which stunned Washington and drew a sharp dissent from the court's liberal justices warning of the perils to democracy, particularly as Trump seeks a return to the White House. Still, the effort stands almost no chance of succeeding in this Congress.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions take within their official duties — a decision that throws into doubt the Justice Department's cases against Trump, including his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump and his allies celebrated the ruling by the court, which includes three justices appointed by the former president, and his legal team immediately moved to delay sentencing for his felony conviction in an unrelated hush money case in New York state court that had been scheduled for next week. The judge agreed to push off the sentencing until fall.

The outcome all but ensures the federal cases against Trump will not be resolved before the November election when he faces a likely rematch with President Joe Biden.

While the constitutional amendment process would likely take years, and in fact may never come to fruition, supporters believe it is the most surefire way, even beyond a new law, to enshrine the norm that presidents can face consequences for their actions.

“This amendment will guarantee that no public officer of the United States — including the president — is able to evade the accountability that any other American would face for violating our laws,” Morelle wrote in a letter to colleagues this week.

He quoted from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who led the dissent, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson who joined in dissenting, before summing up his in his own words: "Presidents are citizens, not tyrants."

Another Democrat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said Monday she planned to file articles of impeachment against the justices over the ruling, which she said represents "an assault on American democracy."

“It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture,” Ocasio-Cortez said on social media. “I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.”

Congress can launch the constitutional amendment process and then send it to the states for ratification. Such a resolution takes a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, which is highly unlikely at this time of divided government, and ratification by three-fourths of the states.

So far, there have been 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

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This story has been corrected to reflect Justice Sotomayor's first name is Sonia, not Sonya.

FILE - Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., questions a witness during a Committee on House Administration hearing about noncitizen voting in U.S. elections on Capitol Hill, May 16, 2024 in Washington. Morelle is preparing a constitutional amendment in response to the Supreme Court's landmark immunity ruling. (AP Photo/John McDonnell, File)