Police in Nha Be District set up a DUI checkpoint on Nguyen Van Tao Street on the night of Jan. 7 to randomly inspect drivers.
Around 8 p.m., they detected a motorcyclist showing signs of being under the influence of alcohol. A test result revealed he had 0.925 mg of alcohol per liter of breath.
He also failed to present a driver's license, his ID card, or the motorbike’s registration card.
Police filed a report to seize the vehicle, which he signed before leaving.
Around an hour later, the man returned to the checkpoint with two cans of gasoline. He poured the gasoline over his body and set fire to himself.
Police and local people rushed in to save him and took him to a hospital, but he was confirmed dead on the morning of Jan. 8.
Early investigations revealed that his girlfriend, who had lived with the man since November 2022, left him last month and returned to live with her parents.
Nha Be District police said that his final text messages sent to the woman on Zalo included threats to kill himself.
They said the task force who inspected him for DUI had completed their task in line with regulations.