On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a sedan crashed into a shopping mall in Baoding, Hebei. At around 5 pm on September 20th, a driver drove a car directly through the entrance of the “North Country Supreme Plaza,” injuring at least 2 people. Local residents indicated that this was an act of social revenge. Prior to crashing into the mall, the driver also ran over a delivery driver’s bicycle.
Local resident Xiao Wang disclosed to Epoch Times reporter in the evening of the same day that the incident occurred around 5 pm at the “North Country Supreme Plaza,” which is considered a higher-end shopping center where government coupons are often used for shopping.
Upon arriving at the scene, Xiao Wang saw that the offending vehicle had been covered with a black cloth and there were many onlookers. Despite the collision, the shopping mall did not immediately cease operations.
Xiao Wang mentioned that later, the police and security personnel started dispersing the crowd and prohibited anyone from taking photos. Some individuals were even asked by the police to delete images from their phones.
In video footage from the scene, the front of the Volvo sedan driven by the driver was severely damaged, having crashed directly into the door frame of a cosmetics store inside the mall. There was at least one injured person outside the mall, with 2-3 individuals comforting them, and the injuries appeared to be not severe.
Xiao Wang further explained that the atmosphere at the scene was relatively calm. He believed that the driver’s act of revenge on society was certain, but the specific reasons were still unclear. The driver did not know which hospital to rush to for treatment, and there were no emergency medical facilities near the shopping mall.
After the sedan crashed into the mall, it wasn’t just the local public security and security personnel from Baoding who responded, but relevant personnel from the Hebei provincial government of the Chinese Communist Party also arrived at the scene.
Around 10 pm that night, the Baoding police issued a statement confirming the sedan crashing into the mall incident. However, the official report stated, “Driver Sun, due to improper operation, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the mall entrance, resulting in minor injuries to 2 people. The injured individuals were examined at the hospital and were not seriously harmed.” The announcement also ruled out suspicions of Sun driving under the influence or intoxicated driving and mentioned that further investigations were underway.
Currently, there have been several malicious incidents of social revenge in mainland China, with multiple instances occurring just in August and September this year.
On August 17th at 8:50 am, a 48-year-old individual drove an off-road vehicle recklessly at the exit of an underground parking lot near the Jinping Farmers’ Market in Guizhou, causing injuries to several pedestrians. It was revealed by some netizens that the driver had previously petitioned authorities and his actions were considered deliberate retaliation.
On August 18th, a man carried out a stabbing attack on the streets of Chen Cuohe in Shantou, Guangdong. The suspect allegedly wielded a knife and assaulted people before being subdued by the public. The Shantou police have yet to release any official reports on the incident.
On August 19th, in the streets of Xining, Qinghai, a man in white clothes attacked multiple pedestrians with a knife. A food delivery rider struck him from behind with an electric scooter, knocking him down, and several individuals stepped in to detain him.
On August 25th in Yibin, Sichuan, a man walked along a densely crowded area brandishing two knives, causing panic among civilians who sought refuge and alerted the authorities. The police managed to apprehend him a few minutes later, fortunately without causing harm to anyone.
On September 14th, in the Guangzhou University City incident, around 5:20 pm, a man armed with a knife injured several female victims, primarily targeting their faces, on Xiaoguwai Street in Panyu, Guangzhou. At least 3 individuals were wounded.