A total of 14 people were wounded in a stabbing spree in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday with the suspect quickly detained by police.

The police said the suspect, a man in his 20s surnamed Choi, began stabbing people at the AK Plaza department store near Seohyeon Station in Bundang, south of Seoul, around 5:59 p.m, injuring nine people.

Wearing a black hooded shirt, a baseball cap and sunglasses, Choi wielded a knife roughly 60 centimeters long inside the department store, which is often crowded as it is connected to the subway station.

Before beginning his stabbing spree, Choi drove his car onto the pavement near the building and intentionally hit pedestrians, with five injured, including a woman in her 60s who is reported to be in critical condition after being transported to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.

Police arrested Choi around 6:05 p.m., some six minutes after receiving emergency calls.

According to the police, Choi is 22 years old and works in the delivery service. During his interrogation, he reportedly displayed signs of paranoia.

He was found to have tested negative for drugs and alcohol, but the police collected hair samples to send to the National Forensic Service for thorough analysis and will request a warrant for pre-trial detention.