Killing of Todd Bachman at the Beijing Drum Tower

On 9 August 2008, during the opening days of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, a man attacked a group of tourists during a guided tour of Beijing's 13th-century Drum Tower. The attacker, identified as 47-year-old Tang Yongming, stabbed three people before leaping to his death from a balcony approximately 40 metres (130 ft) high on the tower.

The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman, an American couple from Lakeville, Minnesota, and their Chinese tour guide, who was female. Todd Bachman died as a result of the attack. He was the father of American Olympic volleyball athlete Elisabeth Bachman and the father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon, the head coach of the United States men's volleyball team, whose team went on to win a gold medal at the Olympic tournament. Barbara Bachman was severely wounded but survived. She and the tour guide were reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital following the attack. Elisabeth Bachman was also present on the tour but was not injured.

According to investigators, Tang Yongming had spent most of his life in the outskirts of Hangzhou, where he worked for more than twenty years as a metal presser at the Hangzhou Meter Factory. He had no previous criminal record. Investigators reported that Tang was distraught over family problems at the time of the attack. A colleague described him as having "an unyielding mouth," being prone to grumbling, and being "very cynical." Tang had recently lost his job, and a former co-worker said he had a quick temper and frequently complained about society. Police stated that Tang had gone through his second divorce in 2006 and had grown increasingly despondent as his 21-year-old son ran into legal trouble; the son was detained in May 2007 on suspicion of fraud and received a suspended prison sentence in March 2008 for theft.

In the aftermath, the Drum Tower was closed to tourists, though the surrounding area remained open. Chinese officials strengthened security measures in response to the attack amid heightened concerns during the Olympics. At the time, an estimated 110,000 police officers were stationed in Beijing, along with approximately 1.7 million volunteers, including about 1 million "social volunteers" tasked with watching for troublemakers. Beijing Olympic official Wang Wei announced additional security checks at some scenic areas, and large outdoor screens set up around the city for viewing the Olympic Games were muted or turned off in some locations to avoid large crowds gathering.

Because the sole identified perpetrator died at the scene, no criminal prosecution followed.