Guangdong Zhuhai Malicious Driving Collision Incident: 35 Dead, 43 Injured

A major, malicious collision incident took place at the Zhuhai Sports Center Plaza, where eyewitness #1 reported over eighty injuries and more than ten deaths. (Video screenshot, Dajiyuan composite)

According to People News, on Tuesday (November 12), police in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, stated that on Monday evening, a suspect deliberately drove a car to hit pedestrians in a major malicious attack, resulting in 35 deaths and 43 injuries. The 62-year-old male suspect was apprehended on the scene but attempted self-harm with a knife after being detained. He was subsequently hospitalized, and police have not yet been able to interrogate him.

The police speculate that the suspect was dissatisfied with the division of assets following his divorce, which led him to drive the vehicle as an act of revenge.

"At approximately 19:48 on November 11, 2024, a major malicious incident occurred within Zhuhai Sports Center where the suspect drove a vehicle into citizens exercising, resulting in 35 deaths after resuscitation efforts failed, and 43 individuals hospitalized with injuries (none in life-threatening condition)," stated the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau's police report.

Since Zhuhai is hosting the "China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition" (Zhuhai Airshow) from November 12 to 17, which will feature various advanced weapons and equipment, as well as military experts and media reporters from around the world, the incident on the eve of the airshow's opening has drawn particular attention.

The Zhuhai Public Security Bureau further stated, "The suspect, Fan, male, 62 years old, divorced, was apprehended on the spot."

According to the police report and eyewitnesses, on Monday evening, Fan drove a small SUV and forcibly entered the Zhuhai Sports Center in the Xiangzhou District by crashing through a gate, where he rammed into citizens exercising on the center's pathways, leaving nearly a hundred people sprawled on the ground, and bloodstains on multiple parts of the ground.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that the Xiangzhou Sports Center, where the incident took place, is a popular venue for local citizens to exercise and walk, and it has long been designated as a pedestrian zone, generally prohibiting private vehicles. The sports center is also located approximately only one kilometer from the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau.

On the evening of the incident, the Xiangzhou District Public Security Bureau in Zhuhai also released a notification, stating that the suspect attempted to escape in his vehicle after the collision. The police were dispatched to the scene, took control of the driver, and stated, “The related investigation is ongoing.”

In a police notification released Tuesday, the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau stated that the suspect was controlled on the spot by police officers who arrived as he was attempting to flee the scene.

"Police officers discovered that Fan was attempting self-harm with a knife in the vehicle. They immediately stopped him and sent him to the hospital for treatment. Fan sustained severe injuries to his neck and other areas and is currently in a coma, making it temporarily impossible for police to conduct an interrogation," read the Zhuhai police notification.

Zhuhai police claim that, based on preliminary analysis of the scene, video surveillance, witness statements, and electronic evidence, it has been initially determined that "the incident was triggered by Fan’s dissatisfaction with the division of assets following his divorce."

"Currently, the public security authority has filed a case to investigate Fan for endangering public safety in a dangerous manner and has criminally detained him in accordance with the law," stated the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau.

However, according to the Associated Press, reports on the Zhuhai driving attack incident have been censored and removed from Chinese social media since Tuesday, with only limited information about a vehicle collision incident in Zhuhai remaining, and related details, videos, and photos have been deleted.

Recently, China has witnessed several incidents of attacks with knives or other means targeting indiscriminate victims.

On October 28, outside the north campus of Zhongguancun Third Elementary School in Haidian District, Beijing, a knife attack injured three elementary students and two bystanders, who fortunately had no life-threatening injuries after medical treatment.

On October 17, a small car lost control and struck pedestrians near the gate of Shiyan Elementary School in Yunxiao County, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, causing one death and eight injuries. The police have not disclosed investigation results regarding this incident.

On October 8, a knife attack in Guangzhou left three people injured outside an elementary school, including two students and a female parent, before other parents subdued the suspect.

On the evening of September 30, in a supermarket on Songhui Middle Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, a man attacked people with a knife, resulting in three deaths and 15 injuries. The 37-year-old suspect, surnamed Lin, reportedly committed the attack out of "personal financial disputes" and was apprehended at the scene.

On September 18, a ten-year-old Japanese boy attending the Japanese School in Shenzhen was attacked by a 44-year-old man outside the school and later succumbed to his injuries. The suspect was detained on the scene, but authorities did not disclose his motive.

In June this year in Suzhou, a Chinese woman died while trying to prevent an attack on a Japanese mother and child at a school bus stop.

In May this year, a knife attack by a man in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, resulted in eight deaths and one injury.