Police investigate brick throwing case at apartment complex

Police have launched an investigation after bricks fell near elementary school students and other pedestrians on a sidewalk in an apartment complex in Nowon-gu, Seoul. According to the Nowon Police Station, a report was received on Wednesday about bricks suddenly falling in front of three people—a woman and two elementary school children—who were walking in an apartment complex in Sanggye-dong at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The children, aged 8 and 5, were on the sidewalk when the incident occurred. The bricks reportedly landed on the right side of the 8-year-old, who was walking ahead of the others. Fortunately, no one was directly hit by the bricks, and there were no injuries.

The children’s mother told police, “It felt like the bricks were thrown with force from at least eight stories high. If my child had been walking slightly to the side, he could have been seriously injured.”

The police are investigating whether the bricks were thrown intentionally or accidentally dropped and are checking for fingerprints. There is also speculation that children may have thrown the bricks as a prank. In a similar case in 2015, three elementary school students in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, threw bricks from an apartment rooftop, resulting in one woman’s death and serious injuries to a man. “We are currently investigating by interviewing residents,” a police official stated.


최효정 기자 hyoehyoe22@donga.com