Miranda Rights Omitted in Arrest: Absurd Police Mistake Leads to Release of Suspect

In an absurd incident, the arrest of a theft suspect was canceled after the police failed to inform the individual of their Miranda rights during the arrest.

The Jeonju Prosecutors' Office announced that it has canceled the detention of a 22-year-old suspect, identified as A, who is accused of theft, and indicted him without detention.

Suspect A was previously detained on charges of stealing items worth approximately 300,000 won twice in downtown Jeonju last month.

After completing police questioning and being transferred to the prosecutors' office in custody, A argued that the arrest was unlawful, stating, "The Miranda rights were not observed at the time of the arrest."

Upon verification by the prosecutors' office, it was revealed that the police had indeed failed to clearly notify A of his rights as a suspect during the arrest.

The neighborhood police officers who arrested the suspect at the time reported to their superiors, "I do not clearly remember whether the Miranda rights were properly given."

According to Supreme Court precedents, the notification of rights, including the Miranda rights, is only valid when conducted "prior to applying physical force for an emergency arrest, or during or immediately after subduing the suspect."

The Jeonju Prosecutors' Office stated, "We canceled the detention to protect the suspect's human rights and eliminate any elements of unlawfulness," adding, "Moving forward, we will do our utmost to protect human rights during coercive investigative procedures such as arrests and detentions."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.