10 gang members detained after brawl with baseball bats, sickles in residential area

Ten gang members who took part in a mass brawl in a residential neighborhood and fled the scene have been arrested.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area crime investigation unit detained 10 gang members in their 20s — identified only as A — on charges of forming and operating a criminal organization under the Act on Punishment of Violence and causing bodily harm with a weapon, and referred them to prosecutors, Yonhap reported Tuesday.

The suspects are accused of engaging in a group brawl in a residential area in Cheongna-dong, Seohaegu, Incheon, at around 10 p.m. on June 3 and fleeing the scene.

Six of the suspects belonged to an Incheon-based gang and four to a Seoul-based gang. They were found to have fought while armed with baseball bats and sickles.

Earlier, some of the suspects had quarreled while serving time in a detention facility after one side insulted the other. Following their release, the dispute continued, and they eventually gathered through what is known as an "emergency muster" before the brawl broke out, according to investigators.

Police responded to a 112 emergency call and secured footage from nearby CCTV cameras and vehicle dashcams. They then conducted canvassing and communications investigations, tracking down and arresting all 10 suspects in various parts of the country.