Driver who plowed into school crowd in South Kina gets suspended death sentence

Driver who plowed into school crowd in South Kina gets suspended death sentence

A Chinese court has given a posted death sentence to a man who drove his car into the crowd outside an elementary school in southern China last month, injuring more than two dozen people. The incident is one of a series of violent attacks that have recently rocked the country and prompted authorities to tighten security measures.

Details about the incident

The driver, identified as Huang Wen, was sentenced to a two-year death penalty by a court in Changde city, Hunan province, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. Under Chinese law, the term means Huang's sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment depending on his behavior during that period.

Huang was arrested on the morning of November 19th after injuring a total of 30 people, including 18 students. The court found that Huang launched the attack out of frustration after losing money on his investments and conflicts with family members.

Attack and reaction

According to court testimony, after the collision, Huang got out of his vehicle and attacked passers-by with a weapon before being caught. Videos circulating on social media show scores of panicked schoolchildren screaming and running into the schoolyard. A voice can be heard in the background shouting “Quick, quick!” calls.

Another video shows several people lying injured on the ground while police handcuff a man in front of a vehicle. Images of the incident were quickly removed from social media and the comment sections on the posts were disabled.

A rise in violence

The attack in Changde came just a week after China's deadliest attack in a decade, in which 35 people died when a man plowed his car into a crowd at a sports center in the city of Zhuhai. The suspected perpetrator, a 62-year-old man, was arrested as he attempted to flee the scene. An initial investigation suggests he was unhappy with the outcome of divorce proceedings.

On November 16, eight people were killed and 17 others were injured in a knife attack on a college campus in eastern China.

Social impact

Sudden outbreaks of violence targeting random members of the public, including children, have increased across China in recent months. This comes at a time when economic growth is stalling, unsettling a public long accustomed to low violent crime rates and pervasive surveillance.

Some social media users are warning each other to be careful as more people become desperate and unstable. The recent attacks are described as an act of “revenge against society”.

Public discontent is growing in China as the economy struggles, struggling with real estate problems, low consumer confidence and high youth unemployment.

Measures taken by the authorities

Authorities have launched some stimulus measures, but many experts believe they are not enough to stimulate needed domestic demand and revive the economy. The latest wave of violence has worried China's top officials.

Following the attack in Zhuhai, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on authorities to "prevent risks at the source" and "immediately resolve conflicts and disputes" to avoid such incidents in the future.

Last month, China's top judge urged judicial officials to crack down quickly and harshly on violent attacks on the public. The country's top prosecutor also pledged to resolve conflicts, manage risks and maintain social stability, reiterating a "zero tolerance" for crimes that endanger the safety of students.