The 2023 Guangzhou car attack was a mass intentional injury incident that occurred on January 11, 2023, when the driver of a black BMW X3 deliberately rammed his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians and motorists on Tianhe Road in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The incident resulted in the deaths of six people and injuries to 29 others. The perpetrator, identified as 22-year-old Wen Qingyun, was arrested, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed in April 2024 in connection with the attack.
Background
The site of the attack, which occurred during evening rush hour, is one of the busiest, densely packed commercial districts in Guangzhou.[1] The intersection at Tianhe and Tiyu East Road, where most of the casualties occurred, is known as "the busiest intersection in Guangzhou." The crosswalk connects two shopping plazas together.[2]
Route of the car during the attack
Attack
At approximately 17:25 on 11 January 2023, the driver turned south from Tianhe Road to Tiyu East Road, running over several pedestrians who were passing through the intersection. After driving to Tiyu East Road, he struck a pedestrian at the intersection of Tianhe South Road. He then returned to the first attack site and drove into more pedestrians. Driving east to Tianhe Road, he hit two delivery drivers and a bicycle rider near the Shipaiqiao Bus Station. He then turned into the intersection at Tianhe East Road and Tianhe South 2nd Road, where he struck more pedestrians. The driver proceeded to ram into a traffic policeman riding on a motorcycle, who survived. The car finally stopped after crashing into a guard rail that separated the motor lane from the bike lane.[3]
Six people died in the attack, the youngest being a six-year-old girl, and 29 others were injured.[6] The wounded victims were taken to and treated at local hospitals.[7]
Collision timeline
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Collision site
Description
1
Intersection at Tianhe Road and Tiyu East Road
Multiple pedestrians were struck
2
Intersection at Tiyu East Road and Tianhe South 1st Road
A woman crossing the sidewalk was hit
3
Intersection at Tianhe Road and Tiyu East Road
Several pedestrians were knocked down
4
Near Shipaiqiao Bus Station on the south side of Tianhe Road
Three people were struck; two delivery drivers, and a pedestrian riding a bicycle
5
Intersection at Tianhe South 2nd Road and Tianhe East Road
More pedestrians, including a woman on the sidewalk, were hit
6
South side of the intersection at Tianhe South 2nd Road and Tiyu East Road
At 19:36 on the night of the attack, Guangzhou police announced they arrested a suspect, Wen Qingyun (Chinese: 温庆运; April 2000 – 19 April 2024),[9] a then 22-year-old man from Jieyang.[10] Three days later, he was charged with endangering public safety by dangerous means. Red Star News contacted Wen's father, who stated that at about 12:00, his son said he was going out to find friends, and then drove away.[11]
Wen had no criminal record prior to the attack. After graduating from junior college in 2021, he stayed in school to work for half a year, and then returned to Qishi in Dongguan to run a stationery store with his parents. Wen did not have a fixed salary, and if he needed money, he asked his mother directly. During his first trial, Wen admitted that he presented himself as a "rich second generation" on social platforms to attract women, but was exposed by a blogger in February 2022.[12]
On the day of the incident, Wen's parents scolded him for irresponsibly spending money by purchasing two packs of cigarettes. He then went for a drive in his father's BMW X3. The public prosecution agency said that Wen's speed reached 180 km/h on the highway at one point, and that he also punched his card four times on the Huanan Expressway to evade tolls. He also smashed the windshield. According to Wen's confession, when he was driving to the intersection, he suddenly developed an urge to take his emotions out on others, so he directly accelerated and drove into the crowd.[12]
Legal proceedings
On April 18, 2023, Wen's trial was held in the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court. At the trial, Wen's attorney requested a psychiatric evaluation for Wen, but Wen's family members claimed that the family had no history of mental illness, and Wen had never gone to the hospital for a mental examination. The court ultimately rejected the request. They then sentenced Wen to death and deprivation of political rights for life.[12] Wen appealed against the verdict after his trial ended.[13] However, on 28 June 2023, Wen's appeal was dismissed by the Guangdong High People's Court, which stated that Wen's criminal conduct was "extremely cruel with extremely serious consequences, subjective malignancy and great social harm."[14]
A family member of one of the victims, who was present at the trial, said Wen had a quiet demeanor. He said Wen expressed remorse, but did not say what he was remorseful for, nor did he apologize to the victims' families.[13]
After the attack, citizens went to a station near the scene to lay flowers in mourning.[16]
Guangzhou police were criticized by the public for referring to the attack as a traffic accident. Some accused them of attempting to downplay the severity of the attack. The incident became a top trending topic on Weibo and other Chinese social media platforms. However, posts and comments relating to the attack were removed 24 hours later, leading to censorship allegations against Weibo.[17]
^""广州最繁忙十字路口"将建地下人行道，有望连通地铁一号线" ["Guangzhou's busiest intersection" will build an underground walkway, which is expected to connect to Metro Line 1]. Sina (in Chinese). 26 August 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^"廣州男駕寶馬故意撞人群 已致5死13傷" [5 dead and 13 injured as man drives BMW into crowd in Guangzhou]. Instant China (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^Wanzhen, Cai (13 January 2023). "還原現場! 廣州車禍如同恐攻 男駕寶馬連6撞釀5死13傷 哭聲響徹半條街" [Restoring the scene! The car accident in Guangzhou was like a terrorist attack by a man driving a BMW. 6 collisions resulted in 5 deaths and 13 injuries]. Yahoo News (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^Yang, Feng; Hao, Ying; Zhang, Yidan (11 January 2023). "广州一黑色宝马冲撞人群致5死13伤 司机已被控制" [A black BMW crashed into a crowd in Guangzhou, killing 5 and injuring 13. The driver has been brought under control]. Cover News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^進安, 陳 (12 January 2023). "廣州BMW衝撞人群釀5死13傷 內媒還原6碰撞現場：車折返後又撞人" [Guangzhou BMW collides with crowd, 5 dead and 13 injured]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^杜玮淦 (18 April 2023). "死刑！广州天河"1·11"驾车撞人案一审宣判" [Death penalty! Guangzhou Tianhe "1.11" driving and hitting case of first instance verdict]. Nanfang Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 April 2023.
^"5死13伤！广州市中心发生一起交通事故_央广网" [5 dead and 13 injured: A traffic accident occurred in downtown Guangzhou]. China National Radio (in Chinese). 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^"广州驾车撞人致5死13伤的嫌犯温某被批准逮捕-中新网" [Wen Mou, the suspect who killed 5 and injured 13 in a car crash in Guangzhou, was approved for arrest]. China News Network (in Chinese). 14 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^ abc"广州宝马撞人案判决书披露作案动机，被告人称案发前多次高速冲卡逃费" [The verdict of the Guangzhou BMW assault case disclosed the motive of the crime, and the defendant claimed that he sprinted the card at high speed several times before the incident to evade fees]. Thepaper.cn. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
^ ab"不服死刑判决，"广州宝马撞人案"司机提起上诉" [The driver behind the "Guangzhou BMW ramming case" filed an appeal against the death sentence]. Yangtse (in Chinese). 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^"6次碰撞！现场撒钱！还原广州天河交通事故6个瞬间" [6 collisions! Sprinkle money on the spot! Restore 6 Moments of Guangzhou Tianhe Traffic Accident]. Cover News (in Chinese). 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
