CHONGQING: One person is dead and four others injured after a driver allegedly drove into a crowd in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China, on Saturday after onlookers reportedly criticised him for repeatedly sounding the horn on his car.
A police statement issued on Sunday by the Banan district branch of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau alleged the driver, surnamed Xiong, repeatedly sounded the horn after finding his path blocked by another vehicle in Banan, a district in southern Chongqing.
The driver of the other vehicle was unloading goods in front of a residential community, it said.
The police statement said Xiong was a 38-year-old male but provided no further personal details about the suspect. It said his behaviour “triggered strong dissatisfaction” among nearby residents and prompted many people to approach and confront him.
As the incident escalated into a dispute between Xiong and the residents, Xiong tried to force his way out by driving away, injuring people who tried to stop him from leaving, according to the statement.
Banan district police said one person had died after rescue efforts and a further four were being treated for injuries that were not life threatening.
Xiong was being detained by police.
The Chongqing incident came months after dozens died in a lone-wolf attack that prompted authorities across the country to guard against similar cases that could potentially lead to social instability and public criticism.
On November 11, 62-year-old Fan Weiqiu deliberately drove his SUV into a group of people exercising outside a sports centre on November 11, killing 35 people and injuring 43.
The Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Fan to death in December.
It said he was “endangering public safety by dangerous means” and had been motivated by a “broken marriage and dissatisfaction with life”.
In response to such incidents, China’s authorities seek to strengthen security, urging officials to maintain social stability and calling for grass roots conflict resolution measures to protect citizens.
This article was first published on SCMP.
