A woman in her 20s who was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest after a stabbing rampage at a large commercial complex in Incheon on the 13th has yet to regain consciousness.
According to police and Gil Medical Center at Gachon University, the woman, identified only as A, was stabbed by a 59-year-old man surnamed B and was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest for emergency surgery. Her pulse has been restored, but she has not regained consciousness.
Doctors at Gil Medical Center plan to conduct additional tests soon after monitoring her condition. A's father, speaking to reporters at the hospital's emergency center that day, said he wanted to see the attacker's face, using an expletive, before leaving with the words, "I'm too shaken right now. Let's talk later." A's mother, who had arrived at the hospital earlier, broke into tears upon hearing the sudden news about her daughter.
A total of nine people were injured in the attack, including A. Eight injuries were initially reported, but an additional victim was confirmed later. The eight others, men and women in their 20s to 50s, were taken to hospitals with wounds to their arms, shoulders and backs. None are in life-threatening condition.
B is accused of attacking random shoppers with knives at a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, at around 1:40 p.m. that day. According to police and witness accounts, B held a knife in each hand and moved from the building's basement level to the upper floors, attacking passersby. He is said to have continued the assault while climbing the wrong way up an escalator from the second to the third floor.
B was subdued by bystanders using chairs and other objects before being handed over to police. The victims were not previously acquainted with B.
B has prior convictions for violent crimes, including attempted murder and assault. He received suspended prison sentences for attempted murder in 2005 and assault in 2008, and in 2015 he was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted murder and served the term. The court at the time ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring anklet for 10 years after his release. Investigators found that he was wearing the device at the time of this attack.
Police plan to question B about his motive and seek an arrest warrant on the 14th.