Court Suspends Sentence for Man in His 50s Who Hit Police with Electric Wheelchair... Convicted of Special Public Official Obstruction and Injury

Electric Wheelchairs Also Classified as Dangerous Items

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A man in his 50s who injured a police officer by ramming him with an electric wheelchair while the officer was trying to prevent a group member from entering a hotel where a forum was being held, claiming to meet the Minister of Health and Welfare attending the forum, was sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence.

The court ruled that an electric wheelchair can also be considered a 'dangerous object.'

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-1 (Presiding Judges Kwon Seong-su, Park Jeong-je, Park Sa-rang) sentenced A (52), who was indicted on charges of special obstruction of official duties causing injury, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation.

A, a member of a disability organization, attended a press conference in front of a hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in December 2019, where the Minister of Health and Welfare visited to attend a forum, demanding the abolition of the support obligation standard.

At the time, when the press conference attendees tried to enter the hotel to deliver a 'Questionnaire Urging the Fulfillment of the Pledge to Abolish the Support Obligation Standard' while requesting a meeting with the Minister of Health and Welfare, a police officer in charge of maintaining order at the scene stopped them. Watching this, A rammed police officer B (29) with the electric wheelchair he was riding.

Officer B was knocked down by A’s wheelchair and dragged about 3 meters, and was diagnosed at the hospital with a minor fracture and possible muscle damage.

A’s electric wheelchair can accelerate up to 10 km/h, and it was found that A had arbitrarily attached metal bumpers and other devices to the front part of the wheelchair.

A’s side argued in court that the electric wheelchair was not a 'dangerous object,' but the court’s judgment was different.

The court stated, "Even if an electric wheelchair is an essential item for a disabled person who has difficulty moving, it is clear that accelerating and colliding can cause injury to a person."

Also, A’s side claimed that the act was justified and therefore not illegal, but the court rejected this, saying, "Even if the defendant had the motive or purpose of realizing disability welfare policies, ramming and injuring a victim who was performing lawful official duties cannot be considered a justified act."

Regarding sentencing, the court pointed out, "Considering the method of the crime and the extent of the damage, the defendant’s criminal nature is not good, and despite having been punished several times for similar offenses, he committed the crime again, which is highly blameworthy."

However, the court also stated, "There are circumstances to consider regarding the motive leading to the crime in the process of acting for the rights of disabled people, and the defendant’s degree of disability is severe."

Article 144(1) of the Criminal Act (Special Obstruction of Official Duties) stipulates that if a person commits obstruction of official duties while carrying a dangerous object, the punishment for obstruction of official duties shall be increased by up to half.

Also, Article 144(2) states that if a person commits obstruction of official duties while carrying a dangerous object and causes injury to a public official, they shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than three years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.