Man kicks subway passenger over seat dispute, flees by taxi before police catch up

A man in his 50s who assaulted two subway passengers over a seating dispute and fled the scene has been caught by police.

The Incheon Seobu Police Station said Sunday it had booked the man, identified only as A, on assault charges without detaining him.

A allegedly assaulted two passengers, including a woman in her 20s identified as B, aboard an Incheon Metro Line 2 train stopped at Seo-gu Office Station at around 10:50 p.m. on June 18.

According to the investigation, A kicked B once after she sat in a seat he had intended to take, then grabbed another passenger — a man also in his 50s who tried to intervene — by the collar.

By the time police and station staff arrived in response to a report, A had already left the station and escaped by taxi.

Police tracked him down by analyzing closed-circuit television footage and boarding records.

When A appeared before police, he claimed the woman had assaulted him first, but investigators determined the claim was false.

Police plan to refer the case to prosecutors once they complete a supplementary investigation.