A further three suspects were arrested yesterday afternoon in relation to a violent incident during the annual Dajia Matsu pilgrimage in Changhua City late on Saturday night, which resulted in three police officers injured and one suspect arrested at the scene.
The three suspects were apprehended in Taichung on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, and transported to Changhua City for questioning.
The men knew each other and all had previous criminal records, a preliminary investigation found
Photo courtesy of police
The investigation is ongoing and police said they have not ruled out further suspects.
The fight broke out between devotees while escorting the palanquin at about 10:50pm on Saturday, Changhua police said.
When police tried to intervene, they were attacked by procession troupe members, they said.
Officer Hsiao Teng-yuan (蕭登元), head of the Changhua County Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Corps, sustained a broken nose during the altercation, while two other officers sustained minor injuries, they added.
A 21-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) who was arrested at the scene was found to be carrying coffee packets filled with drugs and ketamine-laced cigarettes, they said.
He also has a history of gang affiliation and multiple prior arrests, they added.
He is now being investigated on suspicion of obstructing official duties, assault, disrupting public order and drug-related offenses, police said.
Of the three men arrested yesterday, aged 21 to 25, two had prior drug-related charges and one had a previous conviction for disrupting social order, they said.
The three belonged to the same temple in Taichung as Chen, although it is not yet known what prompted the altercation, they said.
The suspects were identified from video evidence and tracked to a friend’s house in Taichung, where they were apprehended yesterday, they said.
Police said they have been referred to the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office with a request for detention.
Additional reporting by CNA
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