Police responded to a woman's emergency call claiming her husband was trying to kill her with a weapon, only to book both spouses on assault charges.
The Ansan Danwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Saturday it had booked a man in his 50s, identified as A, and his wife, identified as B, without detention on assault charges.
According to police, the couple had been drinking together at their home in Danwon-gu, Ansan, when they got into an argument Sunday night and allegedly assaulted each other with a shoehorn.
Investigators said B struck A first, then fled to a nearby convenience store when A appeared to turn on her. Once there, she asked a store employee to call police, saying her husband was trying to kill her with a knife.
Officers dispatched to the scene issued a "Code Zero" — the highest emergency alert level in police protocol — but found no evidence that A had been armed with any weapon.
During subsequent questioning, both told police they had been too drunk to clearly remember what had happened. They also indicated they did not wish to see the other punished.
Police said they plan to refer the case to family court as a domestic protection matter after completing their investigation.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
