Suspect Escapes Police Custody After Slipping Out of Loose Handcuffs

It has been revealed that the primary cause of a detained suspect escaping while receiving medical treatment in Busan last month was that police had handcuffed him too loosely.

On May 29, a man in his 20s, identified as A, who was in custody for a sex offense, escaped through a bathroom window on the second floor of a hospital he had visited after requesting medical care, taking advantage of a lapse in police supervision.

A jumped out of the window, fled by taxi, and was apprehended in a mountain area in Busan approximately 14 hours later.

The handcuffs A had been wearing were found outside the first floor of the hospital building, undamaged.

At the time, three officers from the Suyeong Police Station—two inspectors and one assistant inspector—were in charge of transporting the suspect.

During the internal investigation, the officers stated, "A entered the toilet stall while wearing handcuffs on both hands."

Two of the officers were guarding the bathroom entrance, while the third was stationed next to the stall A had entered. They only realized he had escaped after hearing a loud thud as he jumped through the window.

A reportedly stated that he managed to remove the handcuffs by "pulling on them and sliding his hands out."

The interior of the handcuffs features a ratchet mechanism that allows for the adjustment of tightness one notch at a time.

The police stated, "It appears the handcuffs were applied too loosely," adding, "We plan to refer the three officers in charge of the transport to a disciplinary committee."

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