"I Wanted to Ride a New One"... Active Police Officer Who Stole a Bicycle

Gwangju Seo-gu District Police Lieutenant Involved in Bicycle Theft Worth 400,000 Won

A police lieutenant from a certain district police station in Gwangju is under investigation for allegedly stealing a bicycle parked on the street. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] A police officer from a certain district police station in Gwangju is under police investigation for stealing a bicycle parked on the street.

On the 13th, according to the Gwangju Seobu Police Station, Sergeant A, who belongs to a district police station in Seo-gu, Gwangju, was booked without detention on suspicion of stealing a bicycle that was parked on the street.

At around 1:50 a.m. on the 21st of last month, while leaving work, Mr. A found a bicycle without a lock at a bicycle rack in a residential-commercial complex in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju.

Mr. A stole the bicycle and headed to the apartment complex in Nam-gu where he lives, locking it as if it were his own bicycle.

The bicycle owner reported the theft to the police on the 23rd, two days after the incident. The police investigating the case found Mr. A on nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Subsequently, the police tracked Mr. A’s movements by time and found an apartment complex estimated to be Mr. A’s home, located 4.7 km away from the original location where the bicycle was parked.

The police, having identified detailed movements within the complex, requested the resident list from the management office and secured Mr. A’s name and personal information. After verifying his identity, the detective learned that Mr. A was a sergeant belonging to a certain district police station under the Seobu Police Station.

The Seobu Police arrested Mr. A on the 12th on suspicion of theft for stealing and riding away on a bicycle worth about 400,000 won.

It was investigated that Mr. A committed the crime immediately after finishing his district police station volunteer duty, and the residential-commercial complex where the crime took place is within the jurisdiction of the district police station where Mr. A works.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I thought it was a bicycle without an owner. I usually like and enjoy riding bicycles. I wanted to try riding a new bicycle."

Meanwhile, apart from the investigation, the Gwangju police plan to conduct an internal affairs investigation on Mr. A and will soon refer the case to the disciplinary committee.

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