Kazakh man apprehended in viral Icheon road ambush case
Summary
Police detained a 21-year-old Kazakh man in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday over an alleged ambush-style attack on a car in Icheon on July 29. The incident involved two Kazakh nationals who allegedly pursued and blocked a vehicle before threatening its occupants and kicking the car. Police reopened the investigation after dashcam footage went viral and used forensic analysis, vehicle-sale records and CCTV to identify the suspect. The alleged accomplice was deported on Oct. 13, and police are considering an Interpol Red Notice.
Key Facts
- The suspect faces allegations of aggravated intimidation and property damage, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and Icheon Police Station.
- The attack occurred on a road in Majang township and involved a driver in his 30s and a passenger.
- Forensic specialists recovered some vehicle plate digits, combined them with the car model and identified the vehicle’s full registration number.
- Police traced a phone number from a social-media vehicle-sale listing and monitored the user’s movements for three days before making the arrest at 8:25 p.m.
- The alleged accomplice, a 25-year-old Kazakh national, had already been deported for an unrelated unlawful-stay violation.
A man approaches a car on a road in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this dashcam image. Screenshot from Han Moon-chul TV
Police have apprehended a Kazakh man suspected of carrying out an ambush-style attack on a car at night in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in an incident captured on dashcam footage that went viral recently.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and Icheon Police Station said Saturday that they detained the suspect, 21, on suspicion of aggravated intimidation and property damage.
He and a fellow Kazakh national, 25, allegedly pursued and blocked a car carrying a driver in his 30s and a passenger on a road in Majang township on July 29. They allegedly left their own vehicle to threaten the occupants and kick the front of the vehicle.
The case drew public attention after the footage was featured on the YouTube channel Han Moon-chul TV last month, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. As the footage spread, politicians such as Rep. Na Kyung-won of the opposition People Power Party questioned the state of public safety and called on police to mobilize all available investigative resources to catch the suspects.
Police reopened the probe last month, and forensic specialists recovered some plate digits through detailed analysis. Investigators combined those numbers with the car model to narrow the search and eventually identify its full registration number.
They then traced social media accounts used by foreign residents to trade vehicles, finding a sales listing for the car and a contact number.
Using CCTV footage from areas frequented by the phone’s user, police identified the suspect and tracked his movements for three days. He was arrested at 8:25 p.m. Friday while eating dinner with acquaintances at a residential building in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.
The other suspect was already deported on Oct. 13 for an unrelated immigration violation involving unlawful stay.
Police said they would investigate the circumstances and any additional offenses. They also said they would consider seeking an Interpol Red Notice for the alleged accomplice.
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