On March 29, in Da Han Ji market in Fangshan District, Beijing, a man driving a bulldozer rammed into a crowd, causing heavy casualties. A vendor who was present at the scene revealed to a reporter that the driver was from Liaoning and took this extreme action after seeking no resolution to his grievances when presenting his case in Beijing.
Wang Yi (alias) has been selling snacks at the Da Han Ji market for over a year, and March 29 was the most terrifying day for him. He told the reporter that the driver, who was from Liaoning, rented a bulldozer upon his arrival in Beijing, and the entire incident was premeditated, deliberately choosing the busiest lunchtime to plow into the market.
“Coincidentally, he hit during the busiest time around 11:30 in the morning when many people were coming to have lunch, he drove straight towards them. He hit and drove for almost a mile, ran people over, then turned around and hit them again. When it hit a utility pole and got stuck, the tires went flat, some vendors pulled him out and beat him up.”
Wang Yi was relieved that he was not near the bulldozer and quickly closed his stall and left after the incident. He saw many people lying on the ground, some dead on the spot, with dozens of casualties.
“When I saw people falling down after being hit, I closed the stall and left. There were probably dozens of people dead there.” He continued, “Many ambulances arrived, but there were not enough to transport all the injured. It was terrifying, what couldn’t that bulldozer crush? It even smashed electric scooters. After pushing over dozens of stalls, I saw where people fell and died, I just glanced around and left.”
After returning home, others sent him videos. “Later they sent me more videos to watch, oh my god, I’ve had trouble sleeping for two days, kept having nightmares. How fast was that bulldozer running? It was terrifying, people were crushed with missing limbs, flattened heads.”
Wang Yi revealed that the man came from Liaoning to Beijing to seek justice and present his grievances, and on the bulldozer, a large number of petition materials were found. “He came to Beijing to sue or seek justice, but no one paid attention to him, so he took revenge on society, feeling he had had enough of life and didn’t want to live anymore.”
He lamented, “This case is not a small one, it’s huge. Just think about how severe the stimulus must have been to cause such an incident. This is something ordinary people could not do, my god.”
Due to this heinous incident, authorities closed all markets in the surrounding area. Another vendor mentioned that such a significant event would definitely lead to the closure of the market, and it’s still unclear if they can resume operations.
Currently, the authorities are keeping a tight lid on information. There are online rumors of 13 deaths, but this figure has not been confirmed by any official sources.
Another mother of a seven-year-old girl shared on social media her horrific experience, being hit by the bulldozer resulting in a broken leg with bone protruding, while her daughter sustained multiple abrasions. She saw many dead people and felt fortunate to be alive.
She wrote, “I was knocked down, holding my daughter tightly, not letting go, we were dragged meters away. Then the vehicle reversed, ran over my leg, and continued to ram forward. I am grateful that I am still alive.”
Da Han Ji market is a longstanding and large rural traditional market in the Zhoukoudian area of Fangshan District, Beijing.