On July 20th, in Kunming, a man drove an off-road vehicle and crashed into multiple people near Jinmabi Chicken Square in the city center, according to the police report. The incident resulted in at least 2 deaths and 9 injuries.
A video circulating online shows several pedestrians and electric bicycles being knocked down at the scene, with some lying motionless on the ground. After blocking the offending vehicle, the police fired shots at the driver through the window. The driver was then dragged out of the vehicle, laying on the ground without any movement, and later handcuffed.
According to several local netizens on social media, the incident occurred at the entrance of Yilong Building in Jinmabi Chicken Square, where dozens of people were hit. One witness described, “There was a girl whose leg was in a very bad shape.”
Another internet user revealed that the vehicle involved in the incident was a blue off-road SUV called “Tank 300”. After hitting pedestrians, the driver turned around and fled towards the northern part of the city, colliding with vehicles and even ramming into police cars along the way. The police shot and “defeated” the owner of the Tank 300 on the spot.
On July 21st, a journalist from “Love Watching Videos” called Jinbi Police Station regarding the incident, and an official replied that they could not disclose specific details.
A staff member from the propaganda department of Wuhua District Committee in Kunming responded to DaXiang News, saying, “The driver should have been controlled on the spot. There is now a special task force, and accurate information must await official announcements.”
The incident has sparked a wave of concern online. Many netizens expressed their views, with some stating, “It’s clearly a retaliation against society.” “People in Kunming are suffering greatly, either being attacked at the train station or randomly hit on the road.” “Car accidents involving pedestrians are terrifying, intentional offenders must be severely punished to deter others!”
In the afternoon of the 21st, Kunming traffic police reported that at 13:16 on July 20th, a road traffic accident occurred on Jinbi Road in Xishan District of Kunming. It was found that Mr. Li, a 49-year-old male from Xishan District of Kunming, was driving a blue compact off-road vehicle on Jinbi Road and collided with electric bicycles and pedestrians while driving. He then fled and had “collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians on the escape route.” The accident resulted in 2 deaths, 4 minor injuries, and 5 minor injuries. The injured have been sent to the hospital for treatment, with no life-threatening conditions.
The report did not mention the police firing shots and dispelled rumors by stating that “the public security organs have captured Mr. Li and ruled out suspicions of drunk driving or drug driving. It was preliminarily determined to be a hit-and-run traffic accident.”
Netizens raised doubts, questioning, “What does it mean that they blocked the news yesterday but shared more details today?” “They sure know how to trend quickly, at least they have improved in that aspect.”