BEIJING - The son of a senior police officer is to stand trial in China, a lawyer said Tuesday, after causing an uproar by apparently trying to use his father's status to escape the scene of a deadly hit-and-run.

Li Qiming - who in October allegedly hit two students, killing one, while driving drunk in Hebei province - is to be tried Wednesday, Hu Yihua, a lawyer for the victim's family, told AFP, refusing to provide more details.

The 22-year-old is said to have challenged people to sue him when he tried to flee the scene of the accident, shouting "my father is Li Gang".

He was referring to the deputy director of the public security bureau in a district of the city of Baoding, where the incident happened.

The case triggered a torrent of outrage on the Chinese Internet over what many saw as an example of the brazen high-handedness of top officials and their families, with the story spilling over into state-controlled traditional media.

Police subsequently arrested the young Li.

The family of the pedestrian who was killed was then reportedly told to stop talking about the case, after receiving compensation of 460,000 yuan (S$89,470).

Chen Lin, the victim's brother, told the official Global Times newspaper his mother felt "threatened" by their local village chief Shi Changcun, who told her the family's identity cards would be confiscated until the trial ended.

Shi also said police would escort them to the court in Wangdu county. "You now have only one child left. Do not try to cause any trouble," he told her, according to Chen. Shi has denied he threatened the family, the report said.

Chen also said in a previous report that he wanted Li to be punished according to the law. "But I am afraid that is not going to happen considering Li's family background," he was quoted as saying.

The Wangdu court was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP.