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Man rams car into police substation over past involuntary psych ward admittance

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 15:39

Police logo is seen at a precinct in Seoul [NEWS1]

A man in his 60s was arrested after ramming his car into a police substation over the police forcibly admitting him to a psychiatric hospital in the past.

The Yeoncheon Police Precinct in Gyeonggi said Tuesday that the man is under investigation on charges of damaging public property and driving under the influence.

The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, when the man drove his vehicle into the Jeongok Police substation in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi.

The vehicle crashed into a support pillar at the building's main entrance and came to a stop. Several officers were near the entrance at the time but managed to avoid injury. The suspect was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.

"In the past, I was forcibly committed to a psychiatric hospital by the police," said the driver during the ensuing investigation, according to the police. "While I was drinking, I suddenly remembered the unfairness of it all and I committed the crime in a fit of anger."

The man is believed to live alone and to have been subsisting on welfare benefits designated for vulnerable individuals.

Police have seized the vehicle and are coordinating with prosecutors to determine how to proceed with the case.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]