Robber who grabbed officer's dropped gun, pulled trigger on him gets 8 years

A robber grabbed a police officer's pistol after it fell during a scuffle and pulled the trigger on the officer, it has emerged.

Fortunately, no serious injury resulted, as a misfire-prevention device on the pistol's trigger kept the gun from firing.

According to legal sources Thursday, the 11th Criminal Division of the Ulsan District Court, led by Presiding Judge Park Dong-gyu, recently sentenced a man in his 50s, identified as A, to eight years in prison on charges including attempted murder and attempted special robbery.

A got into a scuffle with Officer B, a patrol officer who had been chasing him, after Officer B tackled him from behind at a vacant lot in Nam-gu, Ulsan, in broad daylight in April this year.

During the struggle, the fastening device on the holster attached to Officer B's vest broke, causing the pistol to fall to the ground.

A, who had a prior criminal record, believed he would face harsh punishment if caught. He grabbed the fallen pistol first and pulled the trigger toward Officer B, who was about 3 meters away.

However, the gun did not fire, as the trigger caught on the misfire-prevention device.

Officer B seized the moment, mounted A, pinned him down, and grabbed the wrist holding the gun to keep him from moving.

A resisted fiercely and would not let go of the gun, but he was fully subdued about 10 minutes later when other officers arrived at the scene and joined in.

On Wednesday, a woman opened the driver's-side door of a parked vehicle and got in. A immediately climbed into the passenger seat through the other door, brandished a weapon and forced her to drive to a secluded area. When they reached the parking lot of a lodging facility, he tried to tie up her hands and legs. She resisted by repeatedly honking the horn and screaming, so A hit her in the face, confined her and tried to rob her before fleeing.

Police identified the vehicle A had fled in and put out an alert. After the Wanted Vehicle Alert Search System detected the vehicle, Officer B chased A down, leading to the physical struggle.

A reportedly has a lengthy criminal record, including robbery resulting in injury and sex crimes. This latest case occurred just three months after he was released from prison, where he had served time for gambling-related crimes.

The court said, "The defendant's actions could have cost the police officer his life," adding, "Even in court, the defendant has shown no sign of remorse, offering hard-to-believe excuses, such as claiming he grabbed the gun to kill himself."