A Chinese court has given the death penalty suspended for two years to a man who drove into a crowd outside a primary school in southern China last month, leaving more than 30 people injured, including 18 students. The attack is part of a series of violent episodes that shook the country and led authorities to intensify security measures.
The driver, identified as Huang Wen, was convicted by a court in Changde city, Hunan province, as reported by Xinhua news agency on Monday (23).
Under Chinese law, the suspension means Huang’s sentence can be converted to life imprisonment depending on his behavior during the two-year period.
The court said Huang carried out the attack to vent his frustration following financial losses and family conflicts.
After the collision, Huang exited the vehicle and attacked pedestrians with a gun before being captured.
A video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN showed dozens of panicked children screaming and running into the school yard, with a male voice in the background shouting “hurry, hurry.”
Another video showed several people, including adults, lying on the road, apparently injured. Police could be seen handcuffing a man in front of a vehicle.
Images of the incident circulating online were quickly removed from social media platforms, while comments sections on posts related to the case were disabled.
“Huang Wen chose an indefinite number of innocent elementary school students as his main targets, demonstrating despicable motive and extreme evil,” the court said in a statement.
Series of attacks
The incident in Changde came just over a week after China saw the deadliest known attack in a decade, when 35 people were killed after a man ran over a crowd of people exercising at an outdoor sports center in the city of Changde. Zhuhai, in the south of the country.
The suspect, a 62-year-old man, was arrested while trying to flee the scene. An initial investigation suggested he was unhappy with the outcome of a divorce settlement, police said.
Eight people were also killed and 17 others injured in a mass knife attack on a university campus in eastern China on November 16.
Sudden episodes of violence randomly targeting the public – including children – have increased in China in recent months as economic growth slows, leaving the population, accustomed to low rates of violent crime and constant surveillance, increasingly uncomfortable.
Some social media users have begun warning each other to watch out for people who become more desperate and unstable, calling the recent attacks an act of “revenge against society.”
Public discontent has been growing in China due to the struggling economy, which is facing a range of problems, from a struggling real estate sector to low consumer confidence and high youth unemployment.
Authorities have implemented some stimulus measures, but many experts say they are not enough to boost much-needed domestic demand and revive the economy.
Recent outbreaks of violence have left China’s top officials uneasy.
In response to the Zhuhai attack, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on officials to “prevent risks at the source” and “quickly resolve conflicts and disputes” to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Last month, China’s top judge asked court officials to impose swift and harsh punishments for violent attacks on the public.
The country’s top prosecutor also pledged last month to “resolve conflicts, manage risks and maintain social stability” and maintain “zero tolerance” for crimes that put student safety at risk.
This content was originally published in Man who ran over crowd in China is sentenced to suspended death sentence; understand on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
