The man who attacked primary school students with a knife on Friday began the assaults without uttering a word.

 

That's what Zhang Xiaowei, a student at the Chenpeng Village Primary School, told Southern Metropolis Daily about the rampage that sent 22 of his classmates and an elderly woman to hospitals. Police later detained Min Yingjun, 36, a resident of Chenpeng village, Wenshu township in Guangshan county, on suspicion of being the attacker.

 

Zhang said the man he saw burst into his classroom had wild hair and was wearing blue long underwear without pants and no coat. It "seemed like he had mental problems", the boy was quoted as saying.

 

In other classrooms, students prevented the man from breaking in by using their bodies to barricade the doors.

 

The primary school, which has more than 300 students, had no one standing guard at its gates. Anyone was free to go in and out, according to Chinese media reports.

 

Earlier on Friday, Min is believed to have broken into the house of Xiang Jiaying, an 85-year-old woman, and wounded her with a knife he stole from her kitchen before the attack at the school.

 

The police managed to seize the suspect with the help of village officials outside the school.

 

Min is believed to be mentally ill and to have epilepsy.

 

His father, Min Zheng'an, told West China City Daily his son has had epilepsy since 1991 and that the symptoms of his condition had become more serious since April, media reports said.

 

The police arrived at Min Yingjun's home on Friday evening and left with his medical records and medication, his father said.

 

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment