Surveillance footage has just surfaced of the knife attack in Guangshan county on December 14 that injured 23 22 children (plus one adult).
Min Yongjun, said to have been affected by doomsday rumors, burst into a Chenpeng village elementary school on Friday and began indiscriminately hacking and slashing with his kitchen knife. He also stabbed an elderly woman. All of the victims survived.
Six local officials were fired, but let’s give praise where it’s due: in the footage, we clearly see adults chase after the man after they find out what’s happening. The sight of a middle-aged man in cloth shoes wielding what appears to be a big broom might look comical, but it was effective: the knifeman was chased out of the school and eventually neutralized. We’ve seen it before, but perhaps we don’t put enough emphasis on this: confronted with bad guys, people here do react, as you would expect. Also see the case from earlier this year of unarmed security guards who sacrificed themselves to ward off a knife-wielding madman in Guizhou Normal University.
The Guangshan attack happened on the same day as the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut that killed 26 people, including 20 children. Comparing the incidents, many were critical of the US’s lack of gun-control laws, though people in China were quick to point out their government’s shortcomings as well.
If the lack of coverage is a ploy to dissuade further attackers, this video should destroy that plan completely. The use of “scary, intense” music” turns this into a “When Maniacs Attack!” episode, or “World’s Scariest CCTV Feeds!”
Totally correct to say that brave people armed with brooms saved the day; also, though, it appears even when faced with a knife-wielding maniac, Chinese people will still gawk and stare.
Good to see people rushing to help!!!