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Two teens in Daejeon referred to juvenile court for robbing person in wheelchair

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 13:58

The Daejeon Daedeok Police Precinct said on Sept. 25 that two teenagers have been referred to the juvenile division of the Daejeon Family Court on charges of aggravated theft for following and robbing a disabled person. [DAEJEON DAEDEOK POLICE PRECINCT]

Two teenagers have been referred to a juvenile court for allegedly stealing cash from a disabled person, targeting them because they believed they wouldn’t be able to pursue them in their wheelchair.

The Daejeon Daedeok Police Precinct said Thursday that a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old have been sent to the Daejeon Family Court’s juvenile division on charges of aggravated theft.

The incident occurred on May 23 in front of a bank in Daedeok District, Daejeon, police said. The teenagers approached a person in their 50s who was using a motorized wheelchair and asked to borrow their phone to make a call. Once they handed it over, the teenagers fled with 370,000 won ($260) in cash they found tucked inside the phone case.

The suspects reportedly overheard the victim mention that they were heading to the bank to pay a phone bill, and then followed them before committing the theft. They later split the stolen money.

During police questioning, the teens admitted to the crime, saying they needed money and believed the victim wouldn’t be able to catch up because they were in a wheelchair. Investigators also found they had committed similar thefts in the Daedeok area on multiple occasions.

A police official said the teens’ parents requested intervention, saying they could no longer control their children’s behavior.

“Both were issued warrants for protective custody and have since been placed in a juvenile detention center following a court hearing,” the police said.

Referring a case to the juvenile division means a family court judge will handle the matter. Hearings are held privately, and the court may order detention in a juvenile facility or assign educational supervision through schools or guardians. No criminal record is established as a result of this process.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]