Court will determine whether driver's death was in self-defense

A car driver in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, who after hitting an electric bike at some traffic lights attacked the rider with a long knife was himself killed when, having dropped the knife, he was attacked by the ebike rider who picked up the knife. Yanzhao Metropolis Daily comments on Thursday.

Photos and videos of the incident have been widely posted and shared online, and information about the persons involved, including the past criminal record of the car driver, have also been spread online.

It seems that most people are on the side of the ebike rider, who has been detained, and they have little sympathy for the car driver who died. That's because the car driver hit the ebike in the first place, and instigated an argument before threatening the rider with a knife.

Besides, more information shows that the driver had been sentenced to prison before. He had served at least five prison terms, with an accumulated period of 9.5 years, having previously been convicted of several violent crimes.

The ebike rider is to stand trial for the motorist's death.

But, whatever the public thinks, the court must not let it influence the verdict. The court must base its judgment solely on the evidence and reach a verdict according to the law.

However, the local authorities should heed public opinion, which reveals that people feel insecure because they suspect the driver had links to criminal gangs and no one knows who will be next if they meet drivers like the one in the case.

In order to make people feel safe, the local police should echo the call of the top leadership and strike organized crime gangs if the case leads to any. Only when people feel secure will the criminal cases diminish.