A scooter gang viciously attacked and injured 12 teenagers -- three critically -- while on a violent joyride in Taipei County's Tucheng (土城) City early yesterday morning, police said.
The gang of more than 20 scooter-riding thugs, who brandished large knives and baseball bats, went after most of their hapless victims as they were barbecuing for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Four teens have been taken into custody in connection with the attacks.
"Police identified some of the criminals by their scooter plate numbers and arrested four teenagers in the afternoon," said director of Tucheng Police Bureau Chang Fu-chong (
PHOTO: LIN CHUN-HUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang said police attempted to find other suspects at their Tucheng City homes, but their families claimed they had not returned home since the time of the attacks.
The attacks occurred around 1am yesterday at parks, a gas station, in front of houses and near schools in Tucheng City as the gang rode around spreading mayhem. The three critically wounded victims suffered serious brain injuries, and others were wounded on their arms, hands and faces.
Family members of victims who gathered at a hospital yesterday condemned the assailant's cruel attacks to reporters. One victim's mother said her son's hand was almost severed by the slashing bullies.
According to victims who were enjoying the holiday by barbecuing in a park, the gang members suddenly stopped their scooters and rushed after them with knives and a baseball bat. The victims heard the criminals say, "We hit the wrong person," before they left.
Another victim told police he and his friends were barbecuing in front of a scooter-repair shop, when the gang rushed in, slashed them with knives and wrecked the shop.
Police said the perpetrators sped their scooters toward Sanshia (三峽) Township, a mountainous area of the county, after their violent spree.
Police patrols were increased for last night's Mid-Autumn Festival.
Scooter gangs have been rampant in Taiwan for years. They are notorious for violently attacking victims at random, instilling such fear that residents in some areas now avoid taking to the streets late at night.
Police have called on parents to pay more attention to their teens' behavior and to intervene if they suspect they might be a part of a scooter gang.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS