"Help me" scream... 'Brave citizen' apprehends Chinese robber with bare hands

Chinese National Suspect and Accomplice Commit Cash Robbery
Police Offer Reward to Citizens

On the 7th, during a daytime two-person robbery incident in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, Lee Myeong-seok (first on the right) is apprehending the suspect. / Photo by Lee Myeong-seok, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] It was revealed that a man received a reward from the police after apprehending a two-person robbery gang with his bare hands upon hearing screams in broad daylight.

On the 22nd, the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that it had awarded a reward to Mr. Lee Myung-seok (47), who confronted and caught a robber with his bare hands during a robbery incident that occurred in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam City.

On the 7th, after finishing lunch and returning to his office to work, Mr. Lee heard a woman screaming, "Help me." When he stuck his head out of the window of his third-floor office, he saw a man pushing the screaming woman into a car.

He immediately ran downstairs and caught suspect A, a Chinese national who was in the car, and other citizens who witnessed the scene gradually gathered to assist Mr. Lee.

Mr. Lee said, "I heard the call for help and blindly caught the perpetrator. Until then, I didn’t know if it was dating violence or domestic violence. But when the victim’s mask slipped slightly and I saw blue tape around her mouth, I realized it was a robbery."

Suspect A, who was caught by Mr. Lee and other citizens, said, "Let me go. I won’t run away." While the citizens briefly let go, he tried to escape once but was caught again and handed over to the police.

Earlier, around noon on the same day, suspect A and an accomplice threatened a female business owner at a nearby travel agency office with a weapon, stole about 8 million won, and tried to confine her in a vehicle to withdraw additional cash.

The accomplice briefly left to lock the travel agency office door but fled after seeing A being caught. However, as the investigation tightened, the accomplice surrendered the next afternoon.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lee said, "I didn’t even think it would be dangerous and rushed into the scene. It was an action I did without realizing it, so I still feel dazed. I’m really relieved that I was able to help rescue the victim and catch the suspect."

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