Woman in cat mask caught wielding knives at Geoje supermarket
A woman in her 20s wearing a cat mascot mask enters a large supermarket in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 2. Courtesy of Gyeongnam Police Agency
Police in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, have apprehended a woman in her 20s who wore a cat mascot mask and brandished knives inside a large supermarket, alarming shoppers.
Geoje Police said on Wednesday that the unidentified woman was booked on suspicion of illegally possessing dangerous weapons in a public place.
She is accused of entering the toy section of a supermarket in Okpo-dong at 7:23 p.m. on Aug. 2, wearing a cat mask and gloves, and suddenly pulling out two knives and waving them in the air.
According to footage released on the National Police Agency’s YouTube channel, the woman first roamed the aisles quietly, observing people. She then picked up knives and walked through the store holding them aloft. Children who saw her fled in fear as she raised the weapons and moved toward them.
Supermarket employees tried to calm her down but backed away when she advanced while still holding the knives. At one point, the woman ran toward staff carrying umbrellas as improvised protection, ignoring repeated demands to put the weapons down.
Police officers who rushed to the scene ordered her to drop the knives while aiming a Taser. When she eventually sat down, they subdued her and arrested her on the spot.
A woman in her 20s wearing a cat mascot mask threatens a supermarket employee with knives in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 2. Courtesy of Gyeongnam Police Agency
No one was injured in the incident. After her arrest, officers asked whether she had other weapons or why she was carrying knives. Instead of answering, she meowed, saying things like “Meow” and “I can’t tell you, meow.” When asked if she had a mobile phone, she replied, “Why would I tell you that, meow.”
Police later confirmed she had a history of mental illness and placed her under compulsory psychiatric hospitalization.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.