Stabbing Incident at Beijing Elementary School Entrance Injures Five, Including Three Children

On October 28, 2024, at the entrance of Zhongguancun No. 3 Elementary School in Beijing, a man committed a violent attack with a cleaver, targeting elementary school students who had just finished school.(Image from online video screenshot)

People News– On the afternoon of October 28, 2024, in China’s capital city of Beijing, a stabbing incident injured five people, including three minors. Fortunately, all victims were promptly taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, with no life-threatening injuries.

According to a report by Voice of America, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Haidian Branch released an incident notice, stating that the rare stabbing occurred around 3:20 p.m. near the intersection of Wanquanzhuang Road and Wanliu Middle Road in Haidian District, Beijing.

"The suspect, a 50-year-old male surnamed Tang, was subdued at the scene," the notice said. "The case is under further investigation."

Reports from Reuters and several Chinese state media outlets noted that the incident occurred outside the northern gate of the Haidian District's prestigious Zhongguancun No. 3 Elementary School, with the injured minors being students of the school.

The attacker struck as school was letting out, targeting both students and parents nearby. The assailant was restrained at the scene by a group of parents.

Videos and photos circulating on Chinese social media show the scene, with one elementary school student lying on the ground, bleeding. Nearby, an adult—presumably a parent—holds a child with visible blood stains, kneeling and crying. Another image shows a middle-aged man restrained by the crowd, with blood covering his face.

Reuters pointed out that Zhongguancun No. 3 Elementary School has yet to comment on the incident.

China has recently experienced a series of indiscriminate attacks involving knives or other means, often with minors or even foreigners among the victims.

On October 17, in Yunxiao County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, a car burst into flames and veered off course, hitting people outside Shiyan Elementary School, resulting in one death and eight injuries. Police have not released an investigative report on this case.

On October 8, a stabbing incident in Guangzhou left three injured, also occurring outside an elementary school. The victims included two students and one female parent, with the assailant being restrained by other parents.

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

On September 18, a ten-year-old Japanese boy attending school in Shenzhen was fatally injured in a knife attack at his school entrance by a 44-year-old man, who was arrested at the scene. Authorities have not disclosed the motive.

In another incident in Suzhou in June, a Japanese mother and child were attacked at a bus stop near a school. A Chinese woman who intervened was fatally stabbed.

In May of this year, a man in Xiaogan City, Hubei Province, carried out a knife attack that left eight people dead and one injured.

Reuters noted that following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has been actively promoting China as a safe, stable, and friendly destination to attract foreign tourists. However, the ongoing incidents involving knife attacks may undermine these efforts.