Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This passenger who refused to pay for a train ticket before fatally stabbing a policeman in a harrowing video was on his way to see the president of Taiwan, it has been claimed.
The suspect surnamed Cheng, 54, visited government offices claiming he had been the victim of a scam but decided to take his case straight to President Tsai Ing-wen.
He boarded a Tze-chiang express train without a ticket in the city of Tainan in south-western Taiwan but argued with a conductor who asked him to pay for his fare at the next station, Chiayi.
Pictures Credit: AsiaWire
Policeman Lee Cheng-han, 24, attempted to subdue Cheng and was stabbed in the midriff at 8:46pm local time on 3rd July – just over a week before his birth.
The incident was captured on camera by a train passenger in the same car, with the harrowing footage showing Officer Lee bleeding heavily on the floor.
Cheng was detained by arriving police, while Lee was officially pronounced dead the following day after extensive efforts failed to revive him.
Local media reports have now revealed that Cheng was behind on his utility bill payments and confided to a friend that he had been the victim of an insurance scam.
He visited the Tainan City Government as well as the office of local councillor Kuo Ching-hua, but in the end decided to take his case straight to the top.
Cheng boarded the train and was reportedly on his way to see President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office in Taiwan’s capital of Taipei.
He is reportedly living with manic depression, with his claims about being scammed yet to be verified by authorities.
Officer Lee’s funeral was held today (10th July) as investigations into the case continue.
Lee would have turned 25 on 12th July.
The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
