A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said.
The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.”
Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA
National Taiwan University Hospital said Yu died from a fatal wound about 5cm deep that reached from his right lung to his left heart atrium.
Chiang said a contact window has been established to provide psychological counseling and legal consultation for people who were injured in the attack and the families of the deceased, as well as to assist them in applying for compensation from the Association for Victims Support and claiming insurance from TRTC or Eslite Spectrum Nanxi, where the stabbing happened.
Taipei Department of Legal Affairs head Lien Tang-kai (連堂凱) said one lawyer would be assigned to each injured person and each of the victims’ families to assist in insurance claims and compensation.
Chiang said the city would bolster security for large-scale public events, particularly the New Year’s Eve countdown parties, by deploying special police units, among other measures.
Police have been instructed to raise alert levels for crowded areas in Taipei, increase patrols and step up inspections during weekends and nighttime hours, particularly around Taipei Main Station, the Zhongshan commercial area, the Ximending (西門町) shopping area and Xinyi District (信義), he said.
Separately yesterday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) visited injured victims at Mackay Memorial Hospital and thanked those who had tried to deter the suspect.
One of them was a TRTC employee surnamed Liu (劉).
Liu was on duty at a data center at Taipei Main Station when he saw smoke and fire nearby, Cho said.
He rushed to the scene and tried to extinguish the blaze, sustaining a smoke inhalation injury, Cho said, adding that he has asked the TRTC to formally commend Liu for his bravery.
A female victim told EBC News that she was stabbed by the suspect outside the department store while she was waiting for her daughter for a dinner appointment.
“It did not feel like a stabbing — it felt more like being hit,” she said. “Then it really hurt.”
The victim said that when she turned around, she saw “people lying on the ground and needing first aid, because they were bleeding.”
One person who was in the Zhongshan shopping district at the time of the attack recounted the incident on Threads, saying she witnessed the suspect, Chang Wen (張文), injure one person and then continue walking forward.
After the victim collapsed, a group of people immediately rushed in to help stop the bleeding, she said.
As the victim’s consciousness was fading, they said: “Remember to tell my parents that I love them,” she added.
In an update, the witness said she found out that the injured person had passed away.
The victim’s relatives and colleagues contacted her, she said, adding that she asked them to pass along the victim’s message to their parents.
Another witness, a woman who was inside Eslite, said she saw the suspect wielding a long knife and stabbing people.
She helped a terrified woman who had fallen while trying to flee, she said, adding that they later both broke down in tears.
A man surnamed Chen (陳) said he saw injured people surrounded by bystanders as emergency crews rushed in.
“It was complete confusion. People were just standing there in shock,” Chen said.
Additional reporting by AP
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