The brutal crime committed by the suspect surnamed Choi in a stabbing rampage in Guwol-dong, Incheon, began in the restaurant area on the second floor of a multi-use commercial building.
Choi, with weapons taped to both hands, rushed toward a female restaurant worker, instantly turning a peaceful daily scene into a nightmare of terror.
Startled citizens began scattering in panic with screams, and Choi chased after them with brisk steps as if hunting for prey.
[Oh my goodness, what is happening? Oh, why are they doing that?]
The owners of a snack bar, who bravely confronted Choi holding long umbrellas out of urgency, first pulled down their store's shutter and called 112.
[Please come quickly. This is no lie, you need to come right away. People are getting hurt here and it is chaos.]
As the indiscriminate stabbing continued, a citizen who fought back against Choi by throwing a chair slipped while dodging a weapon and fell down toward the lower level of the escalator.
As citizens holding chairs gathered one by one to corner him,
[Kang Byeong-hoon / Citizen who subdued suspect Choi: I think everyone picked up a chair when we realized the danger and called to grab them. Almost every single person seemed to pick up a chair.]
Choi got onto an ascending escalator and headed up to the fourth floor, where a movie theater is located.
A moment later, Choi collapsed after being hit by something. The person who threw the chair at Choi from the fourth floor was 23-year-old Shin Jung-hyun, who had come to watch a movie with his girlfriend.
[Shin Jung-hyun / Citizen who subdued suspect Choi: I do not know where I suddenly found the courage. I thought that if that person came up, the situation would only get worse.]
Citizens on the third floor subdued the unconscious Choi with chairs, and with the arrival of the police, the five-minute indiscriminate stabbing rampage finally came to an end.
[Shin Jung-hyun / Citizen who subdued suspect Choi: His eyes looked like he was genuinely going to kill someone. That is why I made up my mind right there that I had to throw it.]
It was found during police questioning that Choi stated, "I targeted people who looked weaker than me."
Regarding the five citizens who risked their lives to help apprehend Choi, police stated, "We will take measures to ensure they receive appropriate rewards."
Grab chairs! Heading to the theater with a weapon... 5 minutes of terror (October 14, 2026, 8 News)
(Reported by Bae Sung-jae, Produced by Yoon Sung-shik, Camera Operator: Choi Dae-woong, Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee, Produced by SBS Digital News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.