Chinese TV reporter accuses US embassy van of hit-and-run

Beijing police are investigating claims that a vehicle belonging to the US embassy was involved in a hit-and-run incident.

A van belonging to the embassy was involved in a crash with a car at a busy junction on the capital’s Third Ring Road on Wednesday, during the evening rush hour, traffic police confirmed on Sunday.

The owner of the car, Chen Lin, a reporter for Phoenix TV, said that after hitting her car, the driver of the van ignored her protests and drove away from the scene.

“I got out of my car and tried to stop the van but was dragged dozens of metres into the traffic. I was badly hurt but it just drove off,” Chen wrote on her microblog. “A policeman told me the ­driver probably had diplomatic immunity and we could not do anything about it even on our own territory.”

Beijing traffic police said a staff member had been sent to deal with the incident and had been in touch with the embassy.

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The US embassy said the case was being handled through “the normal process”.