Mass stabbing on Taichung MRT leaves two victims in hospital

Mass stabbing on Taichung MRT leaves two victims in hospital

2024-05-21

A mass stabbing occurred on the Taichung MRT Tuesday morning, leaving two people hospitalized. The suspect is a 20-year-old man surnamed Hung, who boarded the Shui-an Temple Station with three knives. As soon as he got on the train, he began a random stabbing spree, but was subdued by three brave passengers.

The suspect, wearing a brown jacket, first attacks a passenger with a kitchen knife. After being disarmed, he quickly picks up a fruit knife from the floor.

Knife in hand, he walks to the other side of the car and continues his attack.

Passengers rush to stop him, and a man in black manages to grab the assailant’s hand.

Passenger
People started to tackle him, and I ended up grabbing his arm. He still had a fruit knife. Everyone was hitting him on the head.

Passenger
There was people and he was coming toward us with a knife, after he hit the man in the neck, I think. And we grabbed him and started to hit him in the head, and grab his shirt, and try to pull him down.

The incident occurred on the Taichung MRT just after 11 in the morning. The suspect boarded at Shui-an Temple Station. As the train moved toward Taichung City Hall, he launched an indiscriminate attack.

Lee Jui-hsiung
Taichung City Police Department
The attacker did not know the victims. An investigation is underway to establish a motive.

The suspect is a 20-year-old man surnamed Hung. After being subdued by passengers, he was taken to the hospital under police surveillance. He is being investigated for attempted murder.

Before being loaded on the ambulance, the suspect reportedly apologized. Two passengers who had tried to stop him were also sent to the hospital with injuries.

Huang Yung-chen
Lin Shin Hospital
One victim is a 17-year-old who sustained three lacerations totaling 22 centimeters, across his right shoulder, right side of his chest, and right upper arm. These were all muscle injuries.

One victim was a 17-year-old with injuries to his shoulder and chest. He underwent emergency surgery. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen rushed to the hospital to check on the victims.

Lu Shiow-yen
Taichung mayor
His father says he understands that this was an unforeseeable event. He says his family can get by, so he wants to donate any consolation payments to Taichung’s emergency relief account. I said there was no need, but he insisted.

The other victim was a 27-year-old man, who sustained a 9-centimeter gash on his face.

Passenger
Everyone rushed forward, screaming. There was a brave young man who stopped him.

The young man in question, surnamed Hsu, is an award-winning power lifter. After the incident, his Instagram account was flooded with messages from fans calling him a hero and thanking him for his bravery.

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