A hospitalized patient identified only as A threatens passersby with a kitchen knife near Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Daelim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Thursday morning. [SNS]
A hospitalized patient identified only as A threatens passersby with a kitchen knife near Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Daelim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Thursday morning. [SNS]

A patient hospitalized at Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul was arrested Thursday after brandishing a kitchen knife and threatening people nearby, police said. The incident is the latest in a series of cases involving patients with signs of mental illness going on rampages with weapons.

The Dongjak Police Station arrested the suspect, identified only as A, at around 11 a.m. Thursday near the hospital in Daelim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, on charges of carrying a deadly weapon.

Police said A had been admitted to the hospital for a separate medical condition when the suspect began showing symptoms of schizophrenia and started wielding the knife.

During the police investigation, A rambled incoherently, saying the suspect feared being attacked.

A parking attendant at a nearby building sustained minor injuries after A swung the knife.

Police determined that A was showing signs of a mental disorder and arranged for the suspect to be committed to a psychiatric hospital in Incheon.


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