"Why Did He Take Off His Shirt?"... A Man in His 20s Stole the Victim's Vehicle to Flee After Crashing a Stolen Car

Committing Crime While Shirtless
Apprehended Near Gaehwa Interchange After 10km Pursuit

A man in his 20s who stole a delivery vehicle, caused an accident by crashing into a refrigerated truck, and then stole the victim's truck to flee again was arrested by the police.

On the 23rd, the Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that they had arrested a man in his 20s, identified as A, on charges of theft and were investigating him. A is suspected of stealing a delivery vehicle that was parked with the engine running along a roadside in Pungmu-dong, Gimpo City, at around 10:03 a.m. that day. At the time, he was not wearing a shirt and stole the vehicle while the delivery driver had stepped away to deliver goods. A fled about 3 to 4 km before crashing into the rear of a refrigerated truck traveling on a road in Sau-dong, Gimpo City, about 10 minutes later. When the driver of the victim vehicle got out of the driver's seat to check the condition of the vehicle, A stole the truck and fled again, according to the investigation.

A man in his 20s who stole two vehicles was caught red-handed by the police near Gaehwa IC in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 23rd.
[Photo by Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency, Yonhap News]

The police, who received the report, pursued A for more than 10 km and arrested him on the spot near Gaehwa IC in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, at around 10:40 a.m. The police blocked the front and rear of the truck A was driving with a police van and patrol car to cut off his escape route and apprehend him. At the time of arrest, A was still shirtless and was reported to have not worn a shirt since leaving his home in Gimpo City.

The police are investigating additional crimes such as illegal use of a vehicle by A and are considering whether to apply additional charges of hit-and-run injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes against A, who fled after causing the accident. A police official said, "We initially arrested A on charges of theft, but have not yet questioned him, so the reason or motive for committing the crime while shirtless has not been confirmed," adding, "We are also considering whether to apply for an arrest warrant."