Citizen Who Stopped 'Street Weapon Rampage' Barehanded: "My Daughter and Wife Were Nearby"

"Come and Chase Me If You Want to Kill" Rioter Lured and Stopped
Police "Considering Support for Victim's Medical Expenses and Psychological Care"

In broad daylight, a man in his 50s was seen wandering the streets of downtown Seoul wielding a weapon. A citizen who noticed this lured the man to a less crowded area and stopped his rampage. It was reported that the man committed these acts after being stopped from setting fire to a street flowerbed.

According to the Gangbuk Police Station in Seoul on the 8th, around 1:25 PM that day near a subway station in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, a man in his 50s identified as Mr. A was arrested on charges of aggravated assault after wielding a weapon against another man.

Citizen Jo Yuchan who stopped the knife attack. [Photo by MBN]

The police stated that the victim was taken to a nearby hospital and fortunately is not in life-threatening condition.

The incident was prevented from causing further harm thanks to the intervention of citizen Jo Yuchan, who runs a fruit store nearby.

According to footage of the incident reported by MBN, a citizen who witnessed Mr. A wandering the streets wearing red clothes and a hat while holding a weapon reported it to the police.

When Mr. Jo approached from behind to try to disarm him, Mr. A resisted violently. As the standoff prolonged, Mr. A pulled out another weapon from his bag. Mr. Jo then lured Mr. A to a less crowded area and tackled him down.

Failing to disarm Mr. A, Mr. Jo confronted him holding a glass bottle. Mr. A threatened citizens by cursing and swinging his weapon, moving about 50 meters before being subdued by the police.

In an interview with MBN, Mr. Jo said, "I have a daughter and a wife here, so I lured him that way," and added, "When I said, 'If you want to kill, come after me,' he chased me."

Police investigation revealed that Mr. A appeared on the street with camouflage cream on his face and attempted to set fire to a flowerbed. When stopped by a citizen, he wielded a weapon against them. Upon police arrival, Mr. A was holding small saws and other weapons in both hands and was reportedly speaking incoherently.

The police determined that the victim and Mr. A were strangers. They plan to investigate Mr. A’s alcohol and drug use, motive for the crime, and how he came to possess the weapons. They are also reviewing support measures for the victim, including medical expenses and psychological care.

Meanwhile, following incidents last August where Cho Seon (34) attacked strangers with a weapon at Sillim Station causing four casualties, and Choi Wonjong (23) carried out a random stabbing spree at Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu resulting in 14 casualties, numerous posts threatening similar murders have surfaced, heightening public anxiety. Cho and Choi were sentenced to life imprisonment and are currently incarcerated. The police have arrested and prosecuted 32 out of 189 individuals who posted murder threats imitating these attacks.

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