A serving police officer who allegedly lured a theft suspect trying to turn himself in outside the police station and then illegally arrested him has been sent to trial.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 4, headed by chief prosecutor Kim Byung-chul, said on the 14th that it had indicted Inspector A, a police officer in his 40s belonging to Yeongdeungpo Police Station, without detention on charges including abuse of authority in making an arrest.
According to prosecutors, Inspector A had suspect B, an aggravated theft suspect who voluntarily appeared at the police station on May 22, come outside the station and then made an emergency arrest. He is charged with subsequently falsifying an emergency arrest report stating that "the suspect was discovered by chance on the street during investigative inquiries and arrested on an emergency basis."
Investigations found that B had visited Yeongdeungpo Police Station to surrender and met with the violent crimes team, but came outside the station after receiving a call from Inspector A and was arrested immediately.
Inspector A was found to have secured the 800,000 won stolen by B at an arcade in Yeongdeungpo, yet falsely recorded in the seizure report and the application for a search-and-seizure verification warrant that the money had been confiscated from B.
B, who was referred for detention on May 28, told prosecutors, "Even though I went to the police station after promising to appear voluntarily, I came outside the station at Inspector A's request and was suddenly arrested."
Through supplementary investigation, prosecutors reviewed witness statements, call records, and police station entry logs, and determined that B's account matched the facts. Accordingly, they released B on the 1st of last month.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, investigative agencies may make an emergency arrest when there is substantial reason to suspect that a suspect has committed a crime punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a maximum term of three years or more, and there is a risk of destruction of evidence or flight or a risk of flight.
Prosecutors indicted him after concluding that arresting B, who had voluntarily appeared at the police station and posed no flight risk, constituted an "illegal arrest."
Yeongdeungpo Police Station said that once the indictment was made that day, it placed Inspector A on standby and removed him from his duties. An internal inspection is also expected to be conducted.
