A public official stopped a man from setting fire to a subway train in Daegu during the morning rush hour last week, police said Wednesday.
The Daegu Dalseo Police Station said the suspect, a man in his 40s, was referred to the prosecution on charges of violating the Railroad Safety Act.
The suspect allegedly walked through a Line 1 train operated by Daegu Transportation Corp. at around 8:30 a.m. on April 23 while carrying a lighter and flammable bug spray, and attempted to start a fire inside the train.
Surveillance footage showed the man sitting on the floor and setting a sheet of paper on fire before trying to spread the flames to another piece of paper.
Moon Song-hak, a public official at a local welfare center who was on the train, ran toward the man and stamped out the fire.
“I thought he was trying to spray the bug spray at first, but then I saw him starting a fire and thought I had to stop him,” Moon told local broadcaster SBS.
When the train stopped, Moon handed the man over to subway station staff. Police arrived shortly afterward and arrested him.
The incident did not develop into a larger fire, and no injuries or major disruptions to train operations were reported.
The suspect reportedly admitted to the allegations during police questioning.
“We arrested the suspect and referred him to the prosecution after completing our investigation,” a police official said.
Daegu Transportation later presented Moon with a certificate of appreciation and a monetary reward. The operator also urged passengers to report emergencies immediately through intercoms inside subway cars or by contacting the control center.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
