Tainan:A Tainan court has approved a request by prosecutors to detain a man suspected of fatally striking a college student in a drunk driving hit-and-run while driving without a valid license, citing flight risk and the likelihood of recidivism.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Tainan District Court stated that the 49-year-old suspect, surnamed Liao, admitted to the allegations during questioning. Liao had repeatedly committed alcohol-impaired driving offenses and was considered a flight risk.

Liao's driver's license had previously been revoked for a drunk driving offense. However, he allegedly drove under the influence again in the latest incident, which resulted in the victim's death, making detention necessary, the court said.

The fatal crash occurred at around 11 p.m. Sunday in Tainan's Yongkang District, when Liao allegedly struck a male college student surnamed Lee with his car before fleeing the scene. Lee suffered severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police tracked down the vehicle using surveillance footage and arrested Liao within an hour in Tainan's North District. A compulsory blood alcohol test found that Liao's blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, police said.

Investigators also found that Liao had a previous drunk driving record and had been driving without a valid license because it had been revoked over an earlier DUI offense.