The son of entertainers Sun Peng (孫鵬) and Di Ying (狄鶯) was taken into custody yesterday on suspicion of committing offenses including endangering public safety, after he posted a video on social media showing himself using a homemade flamethrower.
In a video uploaded on Thursday last week, Sun An-tso (孫安佐), 25, is seen firing a flamethrower into the air. The video stoked widespread uproar and sparked a police investigation, with Sun brought in for questioning by prosecutors on Saturday.
The Shilin District Court yesterday approved prosecutors’ request to have Sun An-tso detained and held incommunicado following a brief hearing.
Photo: Wang Wen-lin, Taipei Times
The court ruled there was strong suspicion he had committed offenses including intimidating the public, public endangerment, illegal possession of a non-standard hunting firearm under the Firearms, Ammunition and Knives Control Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) and illegal possession of imitation firearms.
The court said there were concerns Sun could collude with others or destroy evidence.
Police said the flamethrower exceeded the range and power of ordinary civilian-use devices and was tested near Beitou Creek, near public roads and residential areas, raising public safety concerns.
Police searching his residence on Saturday discovered two firearms, including one modified weapon that preliminary testing suggested could be lethal. The weapon has been sent for examination and the case could be upgraded to illegal possession of a functional firearm if testing confirms it meets the legal standard for lethality, they said.
Sun An-tso was quoted by police as saying that he had researched firearms for several years, teaching himself online and purchasing parts through online vendors. He added he was unaware his actions were illegal.
His manager, Chen Yu-chung (陳昱中), also a defendant in the case, is being investigated on suspicion of intimidating the public and public endangerment offenses. Prosecutors said Chen was found in possession of marijuana and is being investigated under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Chen was released on NT$30,000 bail yesterday and barred from leaving the country.
Sun An-tso was previously arrested in the US in 2018 after threatening to commit a school shooting. Authorities recovered more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, rifle magazines and a homemade handgun assembled from parts purchased online.
He pleaded guilty to a US federal ammunition charge, was sentenced to time served and deported from the country.
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