‘Knuckles’ in both hands… Park sex offender in broad daylight, CCTV blind spot selected
A man in his 30s who indiscriminately assaulted and sexually assaulted a woman on a hiking trail near a park in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul in the middle of the day was found to have meticulously planned the crime by identifying CCTV blind spots in advance . The police also secured a confession that the suspect purchased a metal blunt weapon called a ‘knuckle’ in advance and used it in the crime, and is investigating the exact circumstances and movement.
● “ There is no
CCTV , so the crime was decided”
According to the Seoul Gwanak Police Station on the 18th, the suspect, Mr. Choi (30), who was arrested shortly after the crime on the 17th after a citizen report, said in a police investigation, “It is close to my house (the hiking trail near Gwanaksan Ecological Park), so I often went to the exercise car, but I know there is no CCTV . (The place of the crime) was decided,” he stated. Regarding the motive for the crime, he said, “I wanted to rape,” and admitted that there was an intention to commit sexual assault, but is known to be claiming an attempt. However, the police applied for an arrest warrant for rape on the afternoon of the 18th, believing that Choi’s charges of sexual assault were recognized.
In fact, the hiking trail where Mr. Choi committed the crime was a downhill side road about 5 minutes on foot from the entrance to Gwanak Ecological Park Dulle-gil, and it was a place where people could avoid people around it because it was covered with bushes and trees. In particular, as stated by Mr. Choi , it was found that there was no CCTV filming the place . The nearest CCTV is located about a 3-minute walk from the crime scene, but it was for forest fire monitoring, not for crime prevention.
During the police investigation, Choi also admitted to assaulting the victim with knuckles. When the police collected two knuckles from the crime scene the day before and questioned the connection, Mr. Choi confessed, “I assaulted (the victim) with knuckles on both hands.” Knuckles are metal blunt devices that are worn토토사이트 on the fingers and can be easily purchased at online shopping malls. Choi was also found to have purchased two knuckles from an online shopping mall around April of this year.
Mr. Choi, who lives with his parents in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, adjacent to the park, arrived at the place around 11:01 am on the 17th after walking for about an hour from home. Subsequently, he hit a woman in her 30s who he found on a hiking trail with a knuckle and then sexually assaulted her, and was arrested by the police at around 12:10 p.m. The victim, who was hit in the head and face, is said to be unconscious. The police are tracking Choi’s travel route by analyzing CCTVs at
the entrance of the hiking trail , while also checking Choi’s psychiatric medical records. Choi’s family stated, “(Mr. Choi) received treatment for depression, but did not receive treatment afterwards.” Immediately after the arrest, an examination showed that Choi was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but the police requested a detailed examination to the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. The computer secured from Mr. Choi’s house has also been requested for forensics.
● Another violent incident occurred during special security activities
Since Joseon (33) on the streets of Sillim Station on the 21st of last month and Choi Won-jong (22) on the 3rd of this month at Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, the police have been carrying out special security activities such as deploying armored vehicles across the country. However, as violent crimes occur again in downtown Seoul, citizens’ anxiety is growing.
In response, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo ordered the police on the 18th to “focus all efforts on crime prevention by significantly strengthening patrols in areas frequented by citizens, such as 112 reports and violent crimes, parks and trails.” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also visited the scene of the incident on the 18th and announced that he would minimize surveillance blind spots with artificial intelligence CCTV . Mayor Oh said, “I feel responsible for the fact that unexpected crimes continue to occur in the city.” The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to quickly identify signs of risk of crime by strengthening collaboration between the CCTV control center of the autonomous district and the police.
The police are also considering patrolling mountainous areas for the safety of citizens strolling along the trails. A police official said, “In the case of Gwanak-gu, there are many mountains and trails, so there are not a few blind spots for safety.”