Police Officer Indicted for Illegally Arresting Suspect Who Voluntarily Appeared

A police officer has been indicted on charges of illegally arresting a theft suspect by luring them out of the police station after the suspect had voluntarily appeared for questioning.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office (Criminal Division 4, Chief Prosecutor Kim Byeong-cheol) announced today, July 14, that it has indicted a police lieutenant in his 40s, identified as A, from the Yeongdeungpo Police Station without detention on charges including abuse of power to arrest.

According to the prosecution, on May 22, Lieutenant A lured a suspect in a special theft case, identified as B, who had voluntarily come to the police station, to step outside before placing them under emergency arrest.

Lieutenant A subsequently falsified an emergency arrest report, claiming that the suspect was "accidentally discovered and arrested on the street during an investigation."

Furthermore, although Lieutenant A had secured cash, which was allegedly stolen property, from a third party, the officer falsely recorded in the seizure report and the application for a search and seizure warrant that the cash had been confiscated from suspect B.

Suspect B, who was referred to the prosecution under detention on May 28, claimed, "I went to the police station after promising to appear voluntarily, but I was suddenly arrested after Lieutenant A asked me to come outside."

Following a supplementary investigation, the prosecution confirmed that witness statements, call logs, and police station visitor records were consistent with B's claims, and ordered the suspect's release on June 1.

Under the Criminal Procedure Act, investigative agencies may conduct an emergency arrest when there is reasonable ground to suspect that a person has committed a crime punishable by the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for three years or more, and when there is a risk of destroying evidence or flight.

The prosecution indicted Lieutenant A, determining that the arrest of suspect B constituted an "illegal arrest" because there was no risk of flight given that the suspect had voluntarily appeared at the police station.

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