A Taipei man faces homicide charges for allegedly stabbing and killing a motorist in New Taipei City on Friday, police said.
Police said that Wang Ping-hua (王秉華), 23, who lives in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), was transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, because prosecutors believed he was a possible flight risk.
The incident took place on Friday at about 10 pm, when Wang was driving his car with his wife in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店), investigators said, adding that the two were arguing over where to go to eat.
Surveillance camera footage showed a man police identified as Wang exiting the vehicle holding a 20cm kitchen knife, and approaching a man surnamed Lin (林), 33, who investigators said was sitting on his motorcycle waiting for his elder sister, a nurse who was finishing her shift at a care center for the elderly.
The footage reportedly showed Wang stabbing Lin in the back and pulling out the knife. Lin fell down and Wang walked back to his car, with his wife looking on.
The footage showed Lin lying on the ground crying for help.
He was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital, but died of severe blood loss.
A preliminary report said that the knife had punctured major organs.
Wang’s wife told investigators said she did not know what was about to happen and after the stabbing she yelled out: “What are you doing?”
She said she called the police, while Wang drove the car away.
Footage from the car’s dashcam showed Wang walking back to the car with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Wang told police that he suffered from a psychological disorder, and had sought treatment last month.
Wang said he had bought the knife and put it in the car.
“It was for self-defense, I thought someone was going to kill me,” police quoted him as saying. “I lost my mind at the time ... because I forgot to take my medicine that day.”
Lin’s family and neighbors described him as a nice, well-behaved man, who worked at his father’s interior decoration business, and helped out at religious festivals and community events.
Lin’s father said he hopes the court gives Wang the most severe punishment possible.
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