Suspect Wields Weapons Tied to Both Hands in Mall Rampage... Citizens Step Up to Stop Him

[Anchor]

A man in his 50s, identified by his surname Choi, tied weapons to both hands and indiscriminately attacked people while roaming through a shopping mall. Despite the extreme confusion and terror, citizens mustered the courage to subdue Choi.

Reporter An Huijae has the details.

[Reporter]

Choi is seen wreaking havoc and carrying out a random knife attack inside a large multi-use shopping complex.

Authorities found that he committed the crimes moving between the basement level, where a large supermarket is located, and upper floors via escalators.

Victims emerged across various locations, with six people injured on the second floor alone, including a person in their 20s who suffered cardiac arrest.

The peaceful daytime downtown shopping center instantly turned into chaos.

[Voice from the scene at the time: "(Victim, victim! Someone is wielding a weapon and stabbing right now!) They say he has a weapon, run!"]

[Witness: "Since it was lunchtime, I thought, 'Why is he running like that?' But right after that, I heard screams. He was holding weapons in both hands and swinging them continuously."]Keeping his mouth tightly shut, Choi had weapons tied to both hands, apparently to prevent them from dropping, according to witnesses.

[Witness: "They say he tied the weapons to his hands and walked around, both of them. He tied the weapons to his hands with string..."]

[Witness: "They said he tied the weapons to both sides with bandages. Because they were tied, people couldn't knock the weapons down even by striking them..."]

Amidst extreme terror, citizens gathered their courage and joined forces,

[Kang Byung-hoon / Witness: "I was wondering what was going on when suddenly some man was standing there holding weapons from behind. Everyone told each other to pick up chairs, so we all lifted chairs and confronted him, and because he was flustered, he ran away."]subduing Choi themselves and handing him over to the police.

It was found that Choi was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted murder after swinging a weapon at his ex-wife in 2015, and began wearing an electronic tracking anklet upon his release in 2019.

Authorities learned that Choi had undergone professional counseling and a probation officer meeting earlier this morning, and even had a meal with his probation officer up until one hour before the crime.

The Ministry of Justice apologized for causing great concern to the public and stated that it would thoroughly investigate the overall management and supervision of electronic tracking anklets to come up with preventive measures.

Acting National Police Commissioner General Kim Jong-chul emphasized strict investigation and support for victims, and ordered a full-scale response to the act of carrying weapons in public places.

(Video by Lim Dong-guk | Video Editing by Kim Jin-won, Design by Kim Han-gil and Jang Seong-beom)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.