INCHEON — It was bystanders who stopped bystanders who slashed people at random with knives at a large commercial complex in Incheon. They kept the attacker from reaching a movie theater on the fourth floor, where a crowd had gathered, helping prevent far greater harm. Police and the Incheon city government said they would seek awards to recognize their actions.
Incheon Namdong Police Station said on the 14th that it had identified five citizens who helped subdue and capture a 59-year-old who went on a knife rampage the previous day at the C&C mixed-use building in Guwol-dong, Namdong District, Incheon. Police said they would review closed-circuit television footage and other evidence to determine each person's role and identify additional participants before arranging appropriate awards.
The five identified by police include a 35-year-old restaurant worker who was on the second floor, a 31-year-old who had come to eat with a girlfriend, a 23-year-old moviegoer who was in the fourth-floor theater and a 65-year-old owner of a restaurant serving ssambap, a Korean dish of rice wrapped in leafy vegetables.
They stepped in after seeing the attacker, holding a knife in each hand, assaulting women. They confronted him by throwing trays and blocking him with chairs, and prevented him from moving up past the third floor to the crowded fourth-floor theater. Some threw chairs at the attacker, responding aggressively and helping to subdue him.
The group overpowered the attacker just before police arrived. Officers took him into custody at about 1:53 p.m.
The 23-year-old moviegoer, recalling the scene, said: "All I could think was that I had to stop him somehow, to save myself and save everyone else."
Police said the swift response by bystanders played a key role in preventing further casualties. The Incheon city government is considering awards of its own while also recommending the attackers' challengers for national recognition.
Mayor Park Chan-dae said the bystanders' intervention prevented far worse harm. "We have requested awards at the government level, and the city is also considering how to express its gratitude," he said.
Police said the attack began at about 1:48 p.m. the previous day and lasted roughly four to five minutes. Ten people were wounded by the knives — seven on the second floor and three on the third.
The suspect told police he carried out the attack to draw attention to complaints about his medical treatment, according to police. "I wanted to make news, and I looked for targets who seemed weaker than me," he said.