A man in his 50s who picked up a handgun that fell to the ground during a scuffle with a police officer and pulled the trigger toward the officer was sentenced to eight years in prison. Fortunately, the gun's safety engaged and the bullet did not fire.
On the 10th, according to legal sources, the 11th Criminal Division of the Ulsan District Court (Presiding Judge Park Dong-gyu, Director General) recently sentenced A, a man in his 50s who was put on trial on charges including attempted murder and attempted aggravated robbery, to eight years in prison.
Around midday on Apr. in a vacant lot in Nam-gu, Ulsan, A got into a scuffle on the ground when Police Officer B, who had been chasing A, tackled from behind.
During the struggle, the retention device on the holster attached to Officer B's vest broke, and the gun fell to the ground. A, who had a prior record, was found to have feared a heavier punishment if caught again, picked up the gun first, and pulled the trigger toward Officer B about 3 meters away.
However, the misfire prevention device on the gun engaged, and the bullet did not discharge. Officer B immediately climbed on top of A to subdue him and pressed down on the wrist holding the gun to prevent movement.
A resisted violently and refused to let go of the gun, but was completely subdued when other officers arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later and joined in.
A had committed a robbery in broad daylight the day before and was on the run.
At the time, A was found to have opened the passenger door on the opposite side and gotten in after a woman got into the driver's seat of a parked car, brandished a weapon, and forced her to drive to a secluded area.
After arriving at a lodging facility's parking lot, A tried to tie the woman's hands and feet. But when she repeatedly sounded the car horn and screamed in resistance, A hit her in the face, confined her, and tried to take her valuables before fleeing, according to authorities.
Police identified the vehicle A had used to flee and put out a wanted alert. When the vehicle was later detected by the Wanted Vehicle Search System (WASS), Officer B pursued A, and a scuffle broke out during the arrest.
A was found to have committed the crimes about three months after being released from prison for gambling-related offenses. Officer B suffered injuries requiring two weeks of treatment.
The court said, "The defendant's crime nearly cost a police officer's life," and added, "Even in court, the defendant is offering implausible excuses, such as claiming the gun was picked up to commit suicide, without showing remorse."
The court continued, "The defendant has multiple prior convictions, including robbery causing injury, sex crimes, and violations of the Road Traffic Act, yet committed another offense during the repeat-offender period, showing a markedly weak sense of law-abidingness," explaining the sentencing rationale, "and a stern punishment is necessary."