Village residents call for action after attack by mentally ill man leaves woman seriously injured

Residents of a village in Pingtung County have organized a petition calling for a mentally ill man to be kept off the streets after a series of attacks, the latest of which left a 30-year-old woman seriously injured.

The suspect named Yang allegedly attacked a convenience store clerk September 26, after she told him to put on a mask. Yang attempted to gouge out the woman’s eyes, leaving her at risk of remaining blind, according to reports after the case was exposed on the Facebook group Breaking News Commune.

Residents of Xinnan Village in Gaoshu Township say that they are living in fear of Mr Yang, who had just recently been released from detention after attacking an elderly female breakfast store owner with a knife in June this year.

The video of the savage attack on Sunday showed Yang rushing behind the counter of the store and attacking the petite female clerk. The clerk falls to the ground and Yang continues to beat and gouge out the eyes of the clerk for almost three minutes until another customer arrives at the store and intervenes.

The Facebook post was also accompanied by photographs of the woman in hospital with swollen, bruised, eyes. The bridge of the woman’s nose was also broken in the attack.

Apple Daily confirmed the story with the store owner who told the Apple Daily reporter that everybody knows that Yang suffers from mental illness but he only seems to bully weaker people. Every time there is an incident, Yang gets sent to the hospital, put after a short time he reappears, causing the whole village to live in fear.

The storekeeper told Apple Daily that the attack occurred at around 8:55 am Sunday after the clerk advised Mr Yang to put on a mask, and that the clerk was still in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital following surgery.

Speaking of Yang’s recent attack on a breakfast store owner, the storekeeper said “Last month, Yang Nan said that the steamed buns were not cooked, so he cut a grandma with a kitchen knife. The grandma’s neck and stomach were both scratched.”

Apple Daily also spoke to local police who said that they arrested Yang after the attack, Sunday, and he has been admitted to hospital for mandatory medical treatment. Police described Yang as a headache who has been causing trouble for at least 10 years. Every time they arrest him, he is sent to Ping’An Hospital, but after a while the hospital will release him back into the care of his family.

Residents in the area are incensed after the story of Sunday’s attack was revealed yesterday, and took to social media to demand justice from the County Magistrate. Residents panned the County Magistrate for posting to Facebook this morning to remind elderly residents to get their second dose of the Moderna vaccine next week, without mentioning the case. County Magistrate Pan Meng’an responded by posting about the case at around 1:00 pm. Pan apologized and promised that the county government would conduct a thorough review of the social safety net and will consult with the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the issue.

Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.