A man in his 50s kills common-law partner and flees
After police arrive, he threatens self-harm with a weapon
Special forces storm in at the signal and subdue him in seconds
A man in his 50s who had killed his common-law partner near the parking lot of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and then fled the scene, was subdued by special forces officers in just seven seconds after a four-hour standoff with police while armed with a weapon.
On April 23, Yonhap News reported that "at around 4:50 a.m. on the 22nd, special forces officers were dispatched to the area near the parking lot of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon."
According to the report, six members of the special forces unit from the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency rushed toward Mr. A, a man in his 50s who had been holding a weapon to his neck inside a car and had been in a standoff with police officers for four hours.
Four officers approached the driver’s side where Mr. A was seated and broke the car window using a hammer-shaped titanium window breaker, while two officers on the passenger side fired a taser gun, hitting Mr. A.
The officers managed to open the driver’s side door and arrest Mr. A, who was writhing in pain from the taser, just seven seconds after the operation began. They pulled him out of the car, forced him to the ground, handcuffed him behind his back, and confiscated his weapon. They then immediately informed Mr. A of his emergency arrest by delivering the Miranda warning.
Earlier, at 11:12 p.m. on April 21, Mr. A had killed his common-law partner, a woman in her 50s, with a weapon at a park in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, and then fled the scene. He escaped to Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, where he was blocked by responding police officers and engaged in a standoff for more than four hours.
Police continued to negotiate with Mr. A, fearing a sudden incident as he threatened to harm himself with the weapon, but when the situation did not improve, they requested the deployment of the special forces at around 3:35 a.m. on the 22nd. Upon arrival, the special forces officers conducted several rehearsals before commencing the operation. The window breaker used in the operation is a special tool made of titanium that can easily shatter laminated soundproof glass, and is much more powerful than a regular hammer.
The passenger side, from which the taser was fired, was the side officers had repeatedly used to negotiate with Mr. A prior to the operation, so the door was not locked. Having identified this in advance, the officers were able to arrest Mr. A without incident. Mr. A suffered a 15-centimeter cut to his neck from self-inflicted wounds with the weapon, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
Kim Seonjung, commander of the special forces unit at the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency who led the operation on site, stated on April 23, "Our special forces officers are highly trained and have the ability to swiftly subdue suspects in serious violent crimes, such as murder, using strong physical force. We will continue to do our utmost to protect the lives and property of the public."
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