A bizarre incident involving a mentally ill woman recently occurred at a store in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, where the suspect, wielding knives and wearing a cat mask, threatened employees and customers, including small children.
When the police arrested her and asked why she did it, she answered "meow" and said, "Can't tell you that, meow."
The National Police Agency on Wednesday posted a video of her arrest in a toy section of the store at around 7:23 p.m. on Aug. 2. In the video, the suspect in her 20s is seen wearing a pink cat mask and matching fur-trimmed gloves, looking around the store for a few minutes.
She then pulls out knives and holds them in both hands, spreading panic across the store. The video shows two children spotting her from a distance and running away, and the suspect following them while holding the weapons.
Store clerks tried to calm the suspect down, holding out an umbrella to protect themselves, but the suspect chased after them, raising the knives in a threatening manner. No one was injured in the incident.
The suspect was eventually overpowered and handcuffed by police officers.
Asked why she was holding the weapons, she answered "meow," refusing to explain her motives or whether she had a phone.
Officials said she was found to be suffering from a mental illness and was forcibly admitted to a hospital for mental health care. She is under investigation for possession of weapons in a public space without a justifiable reason.
