Man, 70, arrested after firing steel pellets from slingshot off apartment window: 'Just wanted to test it'

A man in his 70s has been arrested after firing steel pellets from a slingshot out of his eighth-floor apartment window toward the ground below.

The Gwangju Northern Police Station booked the man, identified only by the initial A, without detention Friday on charges of attempted aggravated assault and is investigating the case.

A is accused of firing steel pellets from a slingshot more than 10 times from the eighth floor of an apartment building in Sinyong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, at around 7 p.m. the previous day.

No one was injured, but a vehicle parked in a church parking lot about 80 meters from the apartment complex was damaged by the pellets.

Police responded after receiving a report of a "thudding sound" from the parking lot. Officers reviewed closed-circuit television footage from the area, identified A as the suspect and arrested him at his residence.

A slingshot capable of firing steel pellets was found and confiscated.

During questioning, A told investigators he fired the slingshot "just to test whether the steel pellets would shoot."

Police had initially applied charges of aggravated property destruction, but changed them to attempted aggravated assault after A denied damaging the vehicle.

Investigators are continuing to look into the full circumstances of the incident.