"It's the road to kill someone"... Taxi driver in his 40s sentenced to prison for weapon threat

Threatened When Taxi Fare Increased Before Destination Arrival
Convicted of Special Threats... Acquitted of Murder Preparation Charges

A man in his 40s who threatened a taxi driver with a weapon was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

The man reportedly acted this way because the taxi fare exceeded the money he had on hand, saying, "We are going to kill someone, so keep driving."

According to the legal community on the 6th, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Chief Judge Lee Dong-sik) held a sentencing hearing for Kim Mo (41), who was indicted on charges of special intimidation and attempted murder, and sentenced him to 10 months in prison.

Kim got into a taxi on a road in Dobong-gu, Seoul, at around 4:50 a.m. on March 2. Before reaching the destination, when the taxi fare exceeded the money he had, he was charged with threatening the taxi driver with a weapon, saying, "We are going to kill someone, so go to the destination."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At that time, the police on patrol witnessed the taxi driver driving with the taxi beacon light on, chased the taxi for about 1 km, stopped it, and arrested Kim on the spot.

During the police investigation, Kim reportedly stated, "I drank alcohol and was on my way home when I chatted and called a friend on KakaoTalk. I got furious because my friend made remarks as if he was with my girlfriend, so I went with a weapon."

The court ruled Kim guilty of special intimidation but not guilty of attempted murder.

The court stated, "The defendant's culpability is not light," and explained the sentencing by saying, "It is unfavorable that the crime was committed during the probation period for a similar offense."

However, the court took into account as favorable factors that Kim admitted to the special intimidation crime and showed remorse, and that after reaching an agreement with the victim, the victim did not wish for punishment.

The court also said, "Considering the circumstances that led Kim to visit the victim, the overall motive of the conversation, and his usual behavior while intoxicated, it is difficult to see that there was an intent to kill at that time," and acquitted him of the attempted murder charge.