Camp Casey is roughly 25 miles north of Seoul, South Korea, and 13 miles from the Demilitarized Zone separating the peninsula. (Amber Smith/U.S. Army)

SEOUL, South Korea — Police plan to recommend assault charges against a U.S. soldier accused of throwing a 73-year-old taxi driver to the ground after complaining his fare was too high.

On Sept. 1, a 21-year-old enlisted soldier from Camp Casey hailed a taxi with three other people in Seoul’s Map district, a Dongducheon police officer told Stars and Stripes by phone Friday.

South Korean officials customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity and typically do not identify individuals suspected of crimes until they are formally charged.

The taxi driver dropped the soldier’s companions off before heading to the final destination near Casey in Dongducheon, the officer said. The soldier slept during the ride and was woken up by the driver upon arrival.

After being asked for the $50 fare, the soldier complained it was too high and threw the driver to the ground by his neck, the officer said.

The driver immediately reported the incident to police and said he suffered an orbital fracture and scratches to his face.

Closed-circuit cameras captured the soldier walking around the city for three hours after the incident, the officer said. The footage shows him entering several stores and using his credit card.

Police identified the soldier 10 days later with the help of U.S. Forces Korea’s Criminal Investigation Division and cameras installed at Casey’s front gate, the officer said. Police summoned the soldier to the Dongducheon Police Station for questioning on Sept. 12 and released him that day.

Prosecutors, not police, decide formal charges under South Korea’s justice system. Police plan to recommend assault charges against the soldier to the Uijeongbu Prosecutor’s Office in the coming days, the officer said.

The 2nd Infantry Division is investigating the incident with the Korean National Police Agency, according to an emailed statement from the division’s public affairs office Friday.

“The Army expects our soldiers to be good ambassadors throughout the local community and uphold the highest standards of conduct,” the statement said. “The details of the incident are currently under investigation.”

Casey is roughly 25 miles north of Seoul and 13 miles from the Demilitarized Zone separating the Korean Peninsula.