A Chinese court has sentenced a man who rammed his car into crowds outside a primary school in southern China, injuring more than two dozen people, to a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve.
Huang Wen, the 30-year-old driver, was arrested on the scene on November 19 after injuring 30 people, including 18 students, in Changde city, Hunan province. The court found that Huang had launched the attack to vent his frustration after suffering from investment losses and conflicts with family members.
The court described Huang’s actions as “despicable” and “extreme” and noted that he chose to target a large number of innocent primary school students, showing a “despicable motive and extreme malice.” If Huang’s behavior improves during the two-year reprieve, his sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment.
The incident is part of a recent wave of violent attacks in China, which has been attributed to rising public discontent over the country’s struggling economy. In the past month, three similar violent incidents have occurred, resulting in a total of 88 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
In response to the attacks, Chinese authorities have vowed to strengthen security measures and hand out severe punishment for violent crimes. The country’s top leader has urged officials to “prevent risks at the source” and “promptly resolve conflicts and disputes” to prevent such incidents from happening again.