Police Officer Who Left 'Weapon Rampage' Scene Placed on Standby...Incheon Police Clarify "Taser Not Seized"

Incheon Police Agency: "It is not true that the assailant took the Taser gun"

A man in his 40s, identified as A, who is accused of injuring three members of a neighboring family with a weapon over noise disputes between floors, entered the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon City on the afternoon of the 17th to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Two police officers who failed to properly respond to a stabbing incident in Incheon and left the scene have been placed on administrative leave. The police denied allegations that the officers had their tasers (electroshock weapons) taken away by the perpetrator.

On the 19th, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency (Chief Song Min-heon) announced that Sergeant A and Officer B, assigned to a certain precinct of Nonhyeon Police Station, were placed on administrative leave. They are suspected of failing to respond adequately when they were dispatched to a villa in Seochang-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, following a 112 emergency call around 4:50 p.m. on the 15th.

The officers responded to a report of a dispute over noise between floors. Sergeant A was talking with the complainant, Mr. C, outside the villa, while Officer B was on the third floor with Mr. C’s wife and daughter. At that moment, a man from the fourth floor came down and stabbed the wife with a weapon.

When Mr. C went upstairs after hearing screams, Officer B had left the scene saying he would request backup, and Sergeant A could not follow because the villa’s main entrance door was closed. Later, the two officers were outside the building and arrived late at the scene after another resident entered the password to open the door.

In response, Song Min-heon, Chief of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, said, "We deeply apologize to the victims for the passive and inadequate response by the Incheon police, which does not meet the expectations of our citizens." He added, "Separate from the thorough investigation of the suspect, based on the internal review conducted so far, we will hold the responsible officers strictly accountable through a thorough disciplinary investigation."

Photo by Incheon Police Agency

Regarding the incident, an online community post claimed that "the police did not use their tasers because they were taken away by the suspect." The anonymous poster stated, "I cannot understand how the police could have their weapons taken by the suspect," and added, "The news is severely distorted."

In response, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency clarified on their official social media on the 19th, "The recent online claim that the police who fled had their tasers taken by the stabbing suspect is not true." They urged, "Since this is misinformation, we hope the public will not be misled."

The police have currently arrested the man who wielded the weapon on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault, and are investigating whether the police response at the time was appropriate.

Meanwhile, Mr. C’s wife, who was stabbed in the neck, has reportedly not regained consciousness. In an interview with YTN, Mr. C said, "Her brain was damaged, so oxygen supply stopped, and she turned pale as if dead," adding, "The medical staff said there is over a 90% chance she will become a vegetative state, so they advised us to prepare for that..."

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