Spat and Committed "Random Assault": Man in His 50s Left Permanently Paralyzed... Suspect in His 20s Indicted and Detained

by Heo Midam

Published 16 Apr.2026 20:44(KST)

Updated 16 Apr.2026 20:48(KST)

Spat at passerby and threw punches in the early morning

A man in his 20s has been indicted for assaulting a complete stranger on the street, causing the victim to suffer a permanent disability.

According to Yonhap News on April 16, the Pyeongtaek Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office recently detained and indicted Mr. A on charges including inflicting serious bodily injury. Mr. A is accused of severely injuring a man in his 50s, Mr. B, by knocking him to the ground on a street in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, at around 5:40 a.m. on March 15.

Spat and Committed "Random Assault": Man in His 50s Left Permanently Paralyzed... Suspect in His 20s Indicted and Detained

At the time of the incident, Mr. A spat at Mr. B and his companions as they were walking by and then tried to run away. An altercation broke out after Mr. B and his group chased after him. It was found that Mr. A, who was agitated and throwing punches, committed the crime against Mr. B, who was trying to stop him. As Mr. B fell to the ground, he sustained a cervical spine injury. Although he was transported to a hospital and received treatment, he was ultimately diagnosed with permanent quadriplegia. Investigations revealed that Mr. A had no prior relationship with Mr. B or his group.

During the prosecution’s investigation, Mr. A did not provide any meaningful statement regarding his motive, leading prosecutors to view this as a so-called "crime without rational motive." Such crimes, also known as "random attacks," refer to incidents where there is no connection between the perpetrator and the victim and the motive is unclear. According to National Police Agency statistics, there were 46 such cases in 2023 and 42 in 2024, with more than 40 cases occurring each year.