(Bloomberg) -- A Chinese court gave a suspended death sentence to a man who plowed a car into crowds at a primary school in the central province of Hunan last month, China Central Television reported.
The driver, identified as Huang Wen, was given the penalty with a two-year reprieve Monday by a local court in Changde city for endangering public safety by dangerous means, CCTV reported. He injured 30 people, including 18 primary school students, and caused major damages to properties, according to the report.
Huang took his rage out on the public because of investment losses and family conflicts and was arrested on site, according to the ruling cited by CCTV. The suspended term means his penalty may be commuted to life in prison if he behaves during the two-year period.
The incident took place just days after a fatal car attack in the southern city of Zhuhai, where a 62-year-old man drove his car into pedestrians at a sports center and killed 35 people. That was China’s deadliest known act of civilian violence since President Xi Jinping rolled out a sprawling surveillance system to secure his nation.
A string of recent attacks has prompted the country’s top prosecutor to vow to punish extreme crimes to deter offenders.
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