Road rage killing spurs outrage
Source: Xinhua |
March 12, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN angry man who deliberately knocked down and killed a pedestrian with his SUV over a squabble in broad daylight on a Beijing street has sparked public fury and an outcry for moral decency behind the wheel.
The killer, surnamed Xu, drove his Dodge SUV into a man surnamed Sun and crushed him to death on March 4 after Sun had uttered provocative words and stood in front of Xu's vehicle over a road dispute, Beijing police and witnesses said.
The accident happened about 9am at a crossing in western Beijing and was witnessed by many onlookers. Some of the witnesses shot photos and video of the scene and posted them on the web.
The postings spread quickly at major websites and online forums including Sina.com's microblogging service, and instantly aroused public fury.
Many witnesses described how the squabble started, with the ill-fated Sun blaming Xu's wife, who was driving another vehicle and almost knocked him down while making a turn. Sun allegedly used vehement rhetoric that infuriated Xu, who got into his SUV, knocked Sun down and backed the vehicle up to crush him.
"He was dying when the ambulance arrived," one of the onlookers said.
Police arrested Xu the same day on suspicion of murder, said Xiong Lu, a procurator with Haidian District Procuratorate.
"It was an act of murder rather than manslaughter, because Xu apparently killed Sun intentionally," Xiong said.
Xu, 26, is from Baoding, in neighboring Hebei Province.
Almost a week after the tragedy, online discussion continued on Saturday, with suggestions for "human flesh search" - a massive Internet search aiming to identify and expose Xu to public humiliation.
Most web users assailed Xu as "cold-blooded" and "rampant," while some others suggested he was simply a victim of mounting pressure in a fast-paced society.
"I don't think we can blame the society or high pressure for such cruelty," said Professor Li Meijin with Chinese People's Public Security University. "It's an act of sheer apathy and shows the offender lacks moral decency."
The killer, surnamed Xu, drove his Dodge SUV into a man surnamed Sun and crushed him to death on March 4 after Sun had uttered provocative words and stood in front of Xu's vehicle over a road dispute, Beijing police and witnesses said.
The accident happened about 9am at a crossing in western Beijing and was witnessed by many onlookers. Some of the witnesses shot photos and video of the scene and posted them on the web.
The postings spread quickly at major websites and online forums including Sina.com's microblogging service, and instantly aroused public fury.
Many witnesses described how the squabble started, with the ill-fated Sun blaming Xu's wife, who was driving another vehicle and almost knocked him down while making a turn. Sun allegedly used vehement rhetoric that infuriated Xu, who got into his SUV, knocked Sun down and backed the vehicle up to crush him.
"He was dying when the ambulance arrived," one of the onlookers said.
Police arrested Xu the same day on suspicion of murder, said Xiong Lu, a procurator with Haidian District Procuratorate.
"It was an act of murder rather than manslaughter, because Xu apparently killed Sun intentionally," Xiong said.
Xu, 26, is from Baoding, in neighboring Hebei Province.
Almost a week after the tragedy, online discussion continued on Saturday, with suggestions for "human flesh search" - a massive Internet search aiming to identify and expose Xu to public humiliation.
Most web users assailed Xu as "cold-blooded" and "rampant," while some others suggested he was simply a victim of mounting pressure in a fast-paced society.
"I don't think we can blame the society or high pressure for such cruelty," said Professor Li Meijin with Chinese People's Public Security University. "It's an act of sheer apathy and shows the offender lacks moral decency."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
