Irvine man pleads guilty to killing motorcyclist in 2005 while driving under the influence

An Irvine man who fled to South Korea to avoid arrest pleaded guilty today to killing a motorcyclist while under the influence of alcohol.

Youn Bum Lee, 42, killed Ryan Dallas Cook in October 2005 while Cook was riding his motorcycle in the carpool lane on the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana, prosecutors said.

Before the accident, Lee and six co-workers had consumed 14 bottles of soju, a Korean rice wine, before heading to a karaoke bar where they continued drinking, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

Lee drove his SUV with the headlights off and crashed into the center median of the 55 Freeway. Cook then smashed into the rear of the vehicle and was thrown onto the freeway, were he was run over by several other vehicles, prosecutors said.

Cook, 23, of Fountain Valley, was a student at Golden West College in Huntington Beach.

After the accident, Lee fled the scene and left the next day for South Korea, according to prosecutors. He was arrested there in December 2008 on a fugitive warrant and was returned to the United States in January.

Lee could receive up to nine years in state prison when sentenced Dec. 7, prosecutors said.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Comments

[TheBigPicture]

I think 9 years at the Hanoi Hilton would be more appropriate...

[twitter.com/cavscout90]

Drinking and driving is too prevalent in Koreatown...I hope Cook's family held the establishment that served the alcohol liable. I've been to many of those places and they don't care...all they do is sell alcohol to drunks and minors. ABC do your job!!!!

[Mike]

Good work and I'm glad they caught him. He obviously had no intention of returning... let him rot.

[anonymous]

so, it takes them 30 something years to get Roman Polanski who lives openly in the public eye - but it only took them three years to catch this guy...too bad he wasn't caucasion, creative and wealthy, perhaps he could have lasted another 20+ on the lam...

[Joel]

They (the local prosecutors) need to go after the Hyundai executives and managers who helped this guy escape back to Korea. I remember the original story, and there were many people complicit in aiding this guy's flight to South Korea. But I'm sure that high-level elected officials will get "campaign contributions" from Hyundai, and this part of the story will be swept under the rug. Just like in any other major (and not so major) city -- money still buys silence or inaction.

[Cathy]

I do not think that Hyundai had to do anything with this. How do you know that their executives helped this man escape? There is no evidence because it is false. Do not drink and drive.

[Rodney M.]

Good job! I glad they caught him -- he obviously was not bothered at all by the grisly death of the young man who just had the misfortune of driving behind him. There are so many hit and run cases left to gather dust and remain unsolved but I'm really glad that the law enforcement really made an effort to give justice to the death of Ryan Cook.

[kooo]

If this guy left the next morning, which is just hours after the incident, what kind of help could he have gotten? He crashed in the early morning hours, and left in the morning... He's going to jail now, so what $ is being used to sweep this story that is already published?

[Friend of Ryan Dallas Cook]

I am so glad they finally caught the jerk(and that's the nicest word I can use on here). He deserves to rot for the rest of his life. He killed a very sweet, talented, and caring person. He called the other big-wigs of Hyundai and they got him on the next flight out of LAX. They did help him, and they need to be punished also. RIP Dallas, I miss you.