Incheon Apartment Parking Lot 'Fire Extinguisher Terror' by Teenagers
Female Middle School Student Investigated, Sprayed Powder in Her Own Home Too
Recently, 11 teenagers were caught spraying fire extinguisher powder indiscriminately at cars in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon. Among them, one was found to have committed the same act on the front door of their own home. According to the Namdong Police Station in Incheon on the 21st, around 7 p.m. that day, a resident of an apartment in Namdong-gu, Incheon, Mr. A, reported, "My daughter sprayed fire extinguisher powder on the front door of our house."
Police who responded to Mr. A's report confirmed that middle school student Ms. B had sprayed fire extinguisher powder at her residence. At that time, the apartment's closed-circuit television (CCTV) reportedly captured Ms. B and other students riding the elevator together. After an agreement was reached between Ms. B's parents and the apartment management office, the police closed the case on site.
Ms. B was identified as one of the 11 individuals who were investigated by the police for causing damage to vehicles by spraying fire extinguisher powder three times in the underground parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. On the early morning of the 13th, around 2:30 a.m., one teenager ran around spraying fire extinguisher powder on 25 cars, while three others filmed the scene with their phones or watched the act. Additionally, on the 28th of last month, around 11:10 p.m., fire extinguisher powder was sprayed on 12 cars in the same apartment parking lot. On the 7th, around 12:20 a.m., two individuals caused damage to four cars in another apartment parking lot.
A teenager causing a disturbance by spraying a fire extinguisher in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Namdong-gu, Incheon, in the early morning of the 13th. [Image source=Captured from YTN news footage]
After the incident became known on the 17th, controversy arose as it was revealed that C (13 years old), who led the crime, and others were juvenile offenders under the age of 14. According to the Juvenile Act, juveniles aged 10 to under 14 are considered juvenile offenders and, if sent to the juvenile court, receive protective measures ranging from 1 to 10, such as custody, community service orders, probation, or placement in a juvenile detention center, but are not held criminally responsible. However, Ms. B is over 14 years old and is not considered a juvenile offender. It was also determined that she only watched the spraying of fire extinguisher powder and did not directly commit the act.
The police stated regarding this case, "Ms. B's parents reached a good agreement with the management office to clean the front door and surrounding area, so the case was closed on site. Ms. B was only confirmed to have watched the previous incident and was not booked."
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