Physically fit felon tests police stamina in foot chase through streets of New Taipei City
Police in New Taipei City went through an unscheduled test of physical fitness, Sunday, when a man wanted on drugs charges lead the officers on a half-hour chase, until he was cornered and arrested.
Police officers were on a routine patrol in Banqiao District when they spotted a suspected wanted person at the intersection of Nanya West Road and Guanqian West Road. The man pretended to cooperate with an identity check, but suddenly fled as police were about to search his bag.
One officer quickly managed to grab the suspect by the shirt as he ran, but only managed to tear off the suspect’s shirt.
Another police officer chased the suspect on foot for several hundred meters, but was failing to keep up when a member of the public suddenly stopped on a scooter and said “jump on I’ll help you.”
After another couple of hundred meters, the officer abandoned the scooter and took to his feet again to jump over guardrails and across a road as the suspect ran in the direction of the Nanzi drainage channel. Two elderly people pointed the officer to the location of the suspect attempting to hide in a culvert.
With backup police officers having arrived, the chase continued across the stream until the suspect was finally cornered after running into a factory. The suspect then picked up a screwdriver and held it to his own neck before an officer knocked the screwdriver out of the suspect’s hand with an extendable baton. The suspect was then restrained, handcuffed, and arrested.
The suspect was identified as a 39-year-old man named Hsiao who was already wanted on drugs charges. A search of Hsiao’s bag turned up two packs of amphetamines and a pipe.
Hsiao was described as a plumber with a serious interest in physical fitness. Media reports in Apple Daily and China Times included a reference to Hsiao’s “six pack abs” in their headlines.
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