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Man on a ‘Rampage’ Slashes and Stabs 14 in South Korea
An attack by a guy near the South Korea’s capital, Seoul, injured at least 14 people. A man crashed a car onto a pavement in South Korea on Thursday, then hopped out and began slashing people at a retail centre, , according to authorities.
According to Yoon Sung-hyun, an official from the southern Gyeonggi provincial police department, at least five people were injured by the automobile and nine others were stabbed in the attacks, which occurred in a crowded leisure sector near a metro station in the city of Seongnam.
Authorities detained and questioned a 22-year-old suspect at the scene. Police did not identify the individual or provide any additional details about a possible motivation.
According to the Associated Press, the suspect spoke incoherently during police interrogation and claimed to be stalked by an undisclosed source. According to the suspect’s relatives, he had a history of mental instability.
While the suspect purchased the two knives used in the stabbings from a separate shopping centre on Wednesday, Park said there is no strong proof that he planned the attacks ahead of time.
According to Seoul’s presidential office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for closer surveillance of social media to detect threats, as well as more law enforcement agents for preventive and stronger suppression gear.
Ha Dong-geun, a provincial fire department official in Gyeonggi, said at least two of those injured after the suspect drove the car into the sidewalk were in critical condition. Eight of the nine people stabbed were receiving treatment for serious injuries.
Photos from the site showed forensic units investigating the halls of the AK Plaza, where the stabbings occurred. On a pavement near the metro station, a white Kia hatchback with a smashed front window and a ruptured front tyre was visible.
The Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper in South Korea published a video on its website that it said was received by a witness. The video shows a man wearing sunglasses and a black sweatshirt heading up the mall’s escalator with a something in his hand.
According to YTN news, a witness called Hwang Hee-woon “heard a sound from the first floor that sounded like a scream, so customers and shop workers were gathering on the rails of the second floor near the escalator to see what was happening below.”
“Suddenly, someone told us that the person who committed the crime was coming up to the second floor, so we ran away in panic,” he explained. He ended up hiding with some mall staff inside a refrigerated storage area.
A knife-wielding guy stabbed at least four pedestrians on a roadway in Seoul last month, killing one.
The National Police Agency conducted an online meeting with regional police chiefs on Thursday to discuss how to cope with random stabbings and other incidents.
According to the agency, officials considered expanding nightly patrols in leisure districts and other congested places, as well as strengthening security camera surveillance.
