TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Army officer who killed a woman while driving under the influence, and then set his car on fire to destroy evidence, will be discharged from the military, reports said Saturday (March 19).

At 5:40 a.m., police in Miaoli City were informed that a woman had been hit by a car and that the driver had left the scene, CNA reported. Less than an hour later, they received another call from someone reporting a burning car in front of a construction site.

Arriving on the scene, they found a Mercedes of the same model and color as the vehicle reported by witnesses of the hit-and-run accident. When the owner, a man named Yuan (袁), showed up, he was unable to give police a coherent explanation and at one point claimed his car had been stolen, CNA reported.

During the questioning, he admitted he had been drinking and panicked when he hit the pedestrian. After driving away from the scene, he set his car on fire and threw the two license plates away. They were later found in a nearby ditch and in a bamboo grove, according to police.

A breathalyzer test found a blood alcohol level of 0.64 milligrams per liter, above the legal maximum of 0.25 mg. Responding to the incident, the Army said it would cooperate with the investigation and that disciplinary action would be taken against Yuan, including his discharge from the military.