A man in his 50s has been indicted on charges of threatening neighbors with a hatchet near Seopirang in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.
The Criminal Division 2 of the Tongyeong Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office (led by Chief Prosecutor Lim Hong-seok) said Friday it indicted the man, identified only as A, in custody on charges including violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (retaliatory threats).
According to prosecutors, A, who runs a business near Seopirang in Seoho-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, is accused of threatening a nearby cafe owner, identified as B, and an employee on two separate occasions in January this year while wielding a hatchet.
A had routinely placed items produced at his business on a nearby passageway. After receiving an administrative warning for obstructing pedestrian traffic, he allegedly committed the offenses believing that B, the neighboring cafe owner, had filed the complaint. A is also accused of threatening B again in February this year, when police were investigating the threat case, by showing his tattoos and indicating he would retaliate if punished.
Prosecutors initially received only the case involving the threat against the employee from police, but identified the additional retaliatory threat case during supplementary investigation and requested an arrest warrant. The prosecutors' investigation also found that A had frequently caused disputes with neighbors, creating a sense of unease in the area.
"We will continue to respond firmly to retaliatory crimes and do our utmost to protect crime victims," an official at the Tongyeong Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office said.
