A Chinese court has sentenced 62-year-old Fan Weiqiu to death for killing 35 people by deliberately driving his car into a crowd at a sports center in Zhuhai, southern China, in November.
The Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court issued the ruling on Friday after Fan pleaded guilty, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The attack, which occurred on the evening of November 11, shocked the nation due to its brutal nature and high death toll.
Fan rammed his vehicle into a group of people exercising outdoors at the Zhuhai Sports Center, motivated by his anger over a failed marriage and an unfair divorce settlement, the court stated. The victims were mostly individuals working out near a track when Fan drove his car across the grounds, mowing them down.
After the attack, Fan was found in his car attempting to harm himself with a knife, and police quickly transported him to the hospital.
The court condemned Fan’s actions as “despicable” and “particularly brutal,” highlighting the cruelty of both the crime and the method in which it was carried out. The death toll in this attack is the highest recorded in China since a series of violent incidents in Xinjiang in 2014.
The attack also prompted strong reactions from Chinese authorities, including President Xi Jinping, who described the incident as “extremely vicious” and called for severe punishment for Fan.
This incident is part of a broader trend of rising violence in China, with several high-profile attacks in recent months targeting random individuals, including children. These incidents have sparked growing concern among the public, especially as China’s economy faces challenges, unsettling many who have been accustomed to relatively low violent crime rates due to the country’s extensive surveillance systems.
Fan’s sentencing follows another similar case. Just days earlier, a court in Hunan province handed down a 2-year reprieve of the death sentence to Huang Wen, who rammed his car into a crowd outside a primary school on November 19, injuring 30 people, including 18 children.
Huang, who was detained at the scene, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. The attack was attributed to Huang’s financial losses from investments and personal grievances with his family. After crashing his car, Huang reportedly got out of the vehicle and attacked bystanders with a weapon before being apprehended by police.
These incidents have highlighted growing concerns about public safety and the increasing number of violent acts targeting random citizens in China.
Authorities are under pressure to address the root causes of such attacks, including the role of economic frustration, personal conflicts, and mental health issues in motivating violent behavior.
