Stole Bread from a Namyangju Bakery and Fled
Turned Out to Be a Homeless Man in His 70s...
Police Provide Shelter and Job Assistance
A homeless man who stole bread out of hunger in the freezing cold of midwinter was able to receive livelihood support with the help of the police.
On the 29th, Yonhap News reported, citing the police, about an incident that occurred around 1:20 p.m. on the 5th at a bakery in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province. At that time, the 112 emergency call center received a report stating, "A man stole bread and ran away." Police officers from Jinjeop Police Substation of Namyangju Northern Police Station who responded to the call checked the store’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and confirmed that a man in his 70s, Mr. A, stole two pieces of bread and fled.
Based on Mr. A’s description, the police tracked his movements to identify him. However, they could not find him at the registered address. Later, after patrolling the surrounding area, Sergeant Yoon Jae-sung and Officer Kim Yong-gu found Mr. A two days after the incident living under a bridge in Jinjeop-eup, Namyangju-si, where he had made a shelter using plastic tarps. Mr. A was enduring the cold while homeless, using plastic tarps and old blankets. The shelter also had a notice posted by Namyangju City, which had visited the site twice in December last year, requesting the removal of the tarps and other materials. According to the police investigation, Mr. A had been living under the bridge for about three months because he was unable to pay rent.
Temporary shelter for the homeless. Provided by Namyangju Northern Police Station, Yonhap News Agency
After voluntarily accompanying the police to the station, Mr. A stated during the investigation, "I committed the crime because I was hungry and had not eaten properly for several days." Sergeant Yoon and Officer Kim, who apprehended Mr. A, judged that livelihood support was more urgent than punishment for Mr. A, who was identified as a survival-driven thief. Usually, suspects caught at local police stations or substations are transferred to the police station and thus out of the hands of the arresting officers, but Sergeant Yoon and Officer Kim continued to extend help to Mr. A. Even on their days off, they worked directly with local governments to help Mr. A receive food supplies and emergency living expenses.
Currently, Mr. A is living in a gosiwon arranged by the town office with the help of the police, and is receiving support to find a job along with medical treatment.
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