14 injured after car, knife attack in Bundang

Social Affairs

Published: 04 Aug. 2023, 11:10 Updated: 04 Aug. 2023, 17:28

14 injured after car, knife attack in Bundang

Police and fire authorities are stationed at AK Plaza Bundang near Seohyeon Station, where a car and knife attack left 14 injured, including two in critical condition. [NEWS1]

Fourteen people were injured in Bundang, Gyeonggi, after a man drove a car onto a sidewalk and rammed pedestrians before stabbing people inside a shopping mall on Thursday.

Five of the victims were hit by the car, and nine were stabbed. Twelve of the victims were heavily injured.

Among the victims hit by the car, a woman in her 20s and another in her 60s are currently in critical condition and could become brain dead.

Two others suffered injuries on the head and knee, respectively. One person only received treatment for minor injuries at the site.

Eight of the nine knife victims were heavily injured, with three in stable condition after undergoing surgery and five yet to be confirmed.

Police investigate a mini compact car that Choi, a 22-year-old assailant, drove to hit five people before injuring nine more with his knife Thursday. [NEWS1]

One knife victim received treatment for a laceration in the elbow.

Police arrested the 22-year-old assailant surnamed Choi into custody at 6:05 p.m. at the site, six minutes after he drove the car onto a sidewalk near Seohyeon Station and entered the AK Plaza, where the stabbings took place. He reportedly suffered a hand injury.

Choi reportedly told investigators that an unidentified group had been stalking him and trying to kill him for a while, and he committed the crime to let people know of the situation he was in.

Choi's medical records showed he had been seeing a psychiatrist from 2015 to 2020.

In 2020, he was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder but has not received treatment for the condition in the past three years.

The suspect is also accused of premediating the knife attack as he visited Seohyeon Station a day earlier.

Police said the suspect purchased two knives at a nearby store on Wednesday and headed to the station.

He told the police he did not carry out the attack that day because he was scared.

Police collected Choi's hair samples to send to the National Forensic Service for a detailed drug screening and plan to apply for a detention warrant. Choi tested negative for a rapid drug test and was not drunk.

Investigators also seized Choi's two cell phones and a computer to see his internet history and activity history.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO,CHO JUNG-WOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]