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Taichung police hunting gangster over video threat

Police yesterday were searching for a Taichung gangster after he recorded a video and sent it to a local TV news station swearing to avenge the death of a gang boss.

In the video, Chou Cheng-pao (周政保), 33, threatened to shoot rival "gangster" Liu Jui-jung (劉瑞榮).

Chou, a member of the Celestial Way Gang, stood next to a table with a number of pistols and rifles. In the video he admitted to being behind three recent shooting incidents in the Taichung area.

Wounded

Liu was slightly wounded in a recent shooting at his Taichung residence. Later, a hostess bar and a massage shop owned by Liu had their windows shot out.

Chou alleged that Liu's gang members were responsible for last week's death of gangster Lin Chen-hsing (林振興).

Lin, a member of notorious kidnapper Chang Hsi-ming's (張錫銘) crime ring and a gang "boss" in the Taichung area, was shot to death while drinking with friends at a teashop.

A man wearing a helmet burst into the shop and opened fire, hitting Lin with five bullets.

Chou called Liu a "chicken" in the film, saying Liu was behind Lin's death.

He said he would shoot Liu when he next saw him.

National Police Agency Director-General Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday he could not tolerate a gangster issuing such a public challenge to law and order.

`A nobody'

"Chou is a nobody but alleges that he is a big gangster," Hou added.

He said the video was probably filmed in a motel.

Hou dispatched a group of special police to arrest Chou.

Police yesterday afternoon raided and searched a residence in Taichung that Chou was believed to frequent.

Police arrested two men and a woman at the home and took them to a police station for questioning, adding the three were suspected to be friends of Chou.

Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) yesterday told a legislative meeting that police nationwide would launch a crackdown on gangster rings in response to criticism from legislators that the nation's security situation had worsened.

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