Taipei police officers are searching for a convicted criminal who fled from under police guard at the Shilin District Court yesterday morning after attending a hearing.
The district court said the 33-year-old convict, Chang Wen-chung (張文忠), was brought to court from the Taipei Prison to attend a hearing. He managed to flee while a police officer was escorting him along a corridor on the building’s second floor.
The district court said the handcuffed Chang kicked the officer and pushed him to the ground, before climbing through a balustrade at the window and jumping to the ground.
Chang fled in the direction of the Tianmu Sports Park, the court said, adding that court orderlies and more than 30 officers from Taipei’s Shilin Police Precinct were sent to look for Chang, but they had not found him as of press time last night.
According to the district court, Chang has criminal records for theft, robbery and possession of drugs. He was serving a prison term until Oct. 10 next year.
Shilin District Court spokesman Lee Yu-jen (李育仁) said that according to regulations, two police officers should escort a criminal, but only one officer was guarding Chang yesterday due to a lack of personnel.
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