A drunken driver who killed five people and hurt four others in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, stood trial on Friday on charges of endangering public security, a charge with a maximum penalty of a death sentence.

Zhang Mingbao, a 44-year-old construction contractor in Nanjing, became a target of public anger on the evening of June 30, when he allegedly drank hard liquor, got behind the wheel and ran into nine pedestrians. Among the five killed were a pregnant woman and her baby.

Judge Shen Xiaopei, who presided over the trial at the Nanjing Intermediate People's Court, did not hand down a verdict, saying that the court needs more time.