Police authorities said yesterday that Shih Kuo-ching (
Shih, 28, has a criminal record for robberies and spent most of his twenties in prison, Chang Jung-hsing (張榮興), a Tainan police officer in charge of the case, told reporters yesterday.
Shih was released from jail last June, Chang said.
The suspect already owned a pistol and stole another from a police officer during an altercation on Thursday, Chang said.
Police arrested the other suspect, Chen Jung-chi (
The altercation began when two expressway police officers Tainan County, Lin You-chung (林裕崇) and Lia Wen-ching (賴文卿), started chasing a speeding vehicle after it failed to respond to their request to pull over.
The chase ended in Liouchia (六甲), where the black vehicle rammed into the median of an exit ramp.
When the officers approached the vehicle, one of its occupants grabbed an officer's gun and fired a shot, missing the officer.
As the suspects' vehicle was no longer in a condition to be driven, the suspects attempted to hijack a passing car.
The driver, Hsiao Min-hsiang (
The National Police Bureau released a preliminary review of the incident yesterday, saying the two police officers had committed at least three mistakes during the Thursday night incident.
The officers chased the suspects for 15 minutes, but failed to report the matter to their colleagues or request assistance, the report said.
While the officers were aware that the suspects were driving a stolen car, they did not immediately arrest and handcuff them.
The two officers should have drawn their pistols while ascertaining the suspects' identities and should not have come so close to them, the report added.
Hsiao was later found dead in his vehicle.
A woman surnamed Lee later drove by the intersection and was threatened by the suspects with a pistol, whereupon she surrendered her vehicle.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
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DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the
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