Group Fighting at Hof Bar Retaliates Against Reporter After Police Send Them Home

Five Men and Women Entangled in Fight... Reporting Business Owner Faces Retaliation
Police, Criticized for Poor On-Site Response, Late to Review Arrest Warrants

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The owner of a hof bar in Incheon who reported a group involved in a brawl to the police suffered retaliatory damage. It has been reported that the police who responded to the report did not arrest the group but sent them home, raising concerns about inadequate on-site response.

According to Yonhap News on the 21st, the Western Incheon Police Station received a report from the owner of a hof bar in Seo-gu, Incheon, around 11:36 p.m. on the 2nd, stating that a brawl had broken out at the bar.

The group involved in the brawl consisted of five people: two men in their 40s including Mr. A, and three men and women in their 30s including Mr. B. They reportedly exchanged glares at the bar, leading to verbal disputes, and then engaged in a physical fight, hitting each other with fists and grappling. During the altercation, tables in the hof bar were damaged, and the establishment became noisy.

After the owner reported the incident, the police arrived at the scene, but the group continued to verbally abuse each other and fight. In particular, Mr. A ignored police attempts to restrain him and even grabbed a soju bottle and charged at others.

Nevertheless, the police decided to send all involved parties home. They reasoned that the situation had calmed down after their arrival and no further physical clashes occurred. None of the individuals were arrested on the spot.

About an hour later, Mr. A returned to the hof bar. He threw and broke a flowerpot on the building’s stairs and damaged security equipment. The hof bar owner who had reported the brawl to the police became a victim of retaliation.

This has led to criticism that the police response at the scene was inadequate. Given that Mr. A resisted police intervention and even wielded a soju bottle, some argue that the police should have arrested the individuals on the spot.

The police explained that they did not consider the situation sufficient to arrest the suspects on the spot. According to Yonhap News, the police stated, "Among the five individuals, three claimed to be unwell and were transported by ambulance, and the other two refused voluntary accompaniment. Since there were five suspects, arresting only two was deemed unfair."

However, as the controversy grew, the police later announced that they are considering applying for arrest warrants for Mr. A and the other four. Currently, the police have booked and are investigating the five individuals, including Mr. A, on charges of joint assault under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes, special injury, and property damage.

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