An incumbent police officer has been indicted on charges of illegally conducting an emergency arrest by luring a theft suspect, who had voluntarily appeared at the police station to surrender, to a location outside the building.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 4 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Byeong-cheol) announced on July 14 that it had indicted a police lieutenant in his 40s, identified as A, from the Yeongdeungpo Police Station without detention on charges including abuse of power to conduct an arrest.
According to the prosecution, Lieutenant A lured a special theft suspect, B, who had voluntarily arrived at the police station on May 22, to step outside before conducting an emergency arrest.
A is also accused of falsifying an emergency arrest report, claiming that the suspect was "accidentally discovered on the street during investigative inquiries and arrested."
According to reports from Yonhap News, suspect B had visited the Yeongdeungpo Police Station to express his intent to surrender and met with the violent crimes unit, but was contacted by Lieutenant A and asked to come back outside.
It was also discovered that although Lieutenant A had secured 800,000 won stolen by B from an arcade in Yeongdeungpo, he falsely recorded in the seizure report and the application for a search and seizure warrant that the money had been confiscated from B.
Suspect B, who was referred to the prosecution under detention on May 28, claimed, "Even though I went to the police station after promising to surrender voluntarily, I came out at the request of Lieutenant A and was suddenly arrested."
Following a supplementary investigation, the prosecution confirmed that witness statements, call logs, and police station visitor records were consistent with B's claims, and subsequently released B on June 1.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, investigative agencies may conduct an emergency arrest if there is reasonable cause to suspect that a suspect has committed a crime punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for three years or more, and if there is a risk of destroying evidence or flight.
The prosecution determined that the arrest of B constituted an "illegal arrest," as there was no risk of flight given that the suspect had voluntarily appeared at the police station.
The Yeongdeungpo Police Station announced that following the indictment, Lieutenant A has been placed on standby and removed from duty.
(Photo: Yonhap News)