Suspect was under electronic surveillance since 2019, according to Justice Ministry

A person receives emergency treatment at a Homeplus store in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)
A person receives emergency treatment at a Homeplus store in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)

A 59-year-old man already under electronic supervision was arrested after he attacked visitors of a Homeplus hypermarket with a knife in Incheon on Tuesday, injuring seven people and placing one person in cardiac arrest.

According to the Incheon Namdong Police Station, the attack occurred at around 1:40 p.m. at a commercial complex housing Homeplus' Guwol branch in Namdong-gu, western Incheon.

Police arrested the suspect at the scene and are investigating his motive and the circumstances of the attack.

A person receives emergency treatment at a Homeplus in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)
A person receives emergency treatment at a Homeplus in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)

Police officers, rescue workers and Homeplus employees are seen at a Homeplus store in Incheon on Oct. 13 following a knife attack. (Yonhap)
Police officers, rescue workers and Homeplus employees are seen at a Homeplus store in Incheon on Oct. 13 following a knife attack. (Yonhap)

The suspect allegedly stabbed eight people. A woman in her 20s is in cardiac arrest, while the remaining seven men and women aged between their 20s and 50s are receiving medical treatment at a hospital, according to authorities.

According to police, the suspect was seen brandishing a weapon while riding an escalator from the second basement floor of the complex, where Homeplus is located, to the second floor, which houses other shops. He was later stopped by other visitors.

Witnesses said the suspect had weapons tied to both hands during the attack.

The Justice Ministry said Tuesday the suspect had been under electronic supervision since 2019 and had regularly received psychiatric treatment without reoffending. He had also been receiving counseling for alcohol addiction and mental health issues.

The suspect had recently been booked for carrying a weapon after using a kitchen knife to punch holes in a protest sign during a one-man demonstration against a hospital with which he had been in conflict, according to the ministry.

Earlier that day, the suspect attended an addiction counseling session from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a meeting with a probation officer and a medication compliance check. The officer remained with him until around 12:30 p.m., including over lunch, the ministry said.

The ministry apologized for the incident and pledged to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the attack and review its electronic supervision system to prevent similar incidents.

It added that the suspect had neither tampered with his monitoring device nor violated supervision requirements.

Police officers and firefighters stand by with stretchers in front of a Homeplus branch in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)
Police officers and firefighters stand by with stretchers in front of a Homeplus branch in Guwol-dong, Incheon, on Oct. 13, following a knife attack. (Yonhap)

shwang9@heraldcorp.com