According to legal and court records, the 울산지법 (Ulsan District Court) recently sentenced a 50-year-old man identified as A to eight years in prison for attempted murder and attempted special robbery, following a daytime vehicle kidnapping and a subsequent struggle where a police officer’s firearm was discharged during an arrest attempt.
Daytime Vehicle Kidnapping and Police Pursuit in Ulsan
The sequence of events began the day prior to the arrest, when A committed a daytime robbery in Ulsan, according to court and investigative findings. A victim had parked a vehicle and opened the driver’s side door to enter, at which point A immediately opened the opposite passenger-side door, climbed inside, and brandished a weapon to force the victim to drive to an isolated location. Upon reaching a lodging establishment parking lot, A attempted to bind the victim’s hands and feet. The victim resisted by sounding the car horn multiple times and screaming, prompting A to strike the victim’s face, attempt confinement, and steal valuables before fleeing the scene.
Police tracked the fleeing vehicle and entered its information into the 수배 차량 검색 시스템 (WASS, Wanted Vehicle Search System). When the system detected the vehicle, B, a police officer holding the rank of 순경, pursued A. The pursuit culminated in a physical confrontation on a daytime vacant lot in Ulsan’s Nam-gu district when B rushed A from behind, causing both men to tumble to the ground and struggle.
Firearm Discharge and Arrest During the Physical Struggle
During the struggle on the ground, the fastening device on B’s holster attached to his vest broke, causing the service pistol to fall to the earth, according to the case record. A, who possessed a criminal record, believed that capture would lead to severe legal penalties. A grabbed the dropped firearm, aimed it from a distance of three meters at B, and pulled the trigger. However, the bullet did not fire because the trigger caught on an anti-accidental discharge device built into the weapon.
B immediately capitalized on the moment by mounting A, pinning him down, and grabbing the wrist holding the handgun to press it against the ground. Although A resisted fiercely and refused to release the pistol, other police officers arrived at the scene approximately 10 minutes later to assist, fully subduing the suspect. B sustained a two-week injury during the incident.
Did You Know? The suspect had been released from prison after serving a real sentence for a gambling crime just three months prior to committing the robbery and subsequent attack.
Court Rulings and Judicial Reasoning
The Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 11, presided over by senior judge Park Dong-gyu, handed down the eight-year prison sentence for attempted murder and attempted special robbery. According to the court, A’s actions nearly cost a police officer his life. During the trial, A showed no remorse and offered explanations that the court found difficult to accept, including a claim that he picked up the gun to commit suicide.
The bench noted that A possessed numerous past convictions for robbery resulting in bodily injury, sex crimes, and road traffic violations. Because A committed the latest offenses during a repeat-offense (누범) period despite those records, the court concluded that his law-abiding consciousness was exceptionally weak and that a severe punishment was warranted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific charges led to the defendant’s 8-year prison sentence?
According to the Ulsan District Court, the 50-year-old defendant was convicted of attempted murder and attempted special robbery.
Why did the police officer’s firearm fail to discharge when the trigger was pulled?
Court documents confirm that a bullet did not fire because the trigger caught on an anti-accidental discharge safety device equipped on the weapon.
What were the background circumstances that triggered the police pursuit?
The pursuit began after the suspect forced a motorist to drive to an isolated lodging parking lot, struck the victim in the face when she resisted by sounding the horn, and fled in a vehicle tracked by the WASS system.