SHENYANG -- Police have placed a car-ramming attacker under criminal detention on charge of endangering public security, after he drove a car into a group of pupils crossing a road, leaving 5 children dead and 19 others injured on Thursday in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Police in Jianchang County, Liaoning, have identified the man as a local resident surnamed Han, who is 29 years old and unemployed.

According to police investigation, when he was driving Thursday, he was considering suicide due to quarrels with his wife, and that he chose his victims at random.

Accompanied by teachers, the group of children were crossing the road after leaving the No. 2 Primary School in the county at 12:15 p.m.

Three of the injured are still in critical condition.

According to police, in the attack, Han's car made a sudden turn to the opposite direction of the road to run into children. He fled the scene but was caught by police later in the afternoon.