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Surveillance video showing group attack in central Taiwan goes viral

Viewers mostly react with a laugh, but some comments disagreed with violence

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A man surnamed Hu is beaten up and left on the floor. (Baofei Commune video screenshot)

A man surnamed Hu is beaten up and left on the floor. (Baofei Commune video screenshot)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Surveillance footage of a brawl in central Taiwan at a KTV this week has gone viral.

The video shows an elderly man in an orange polo shirt standing in an elevator by the control panel. The drama starts after a young man in a blue shirt gets angry when the older man accidentally tries to shut the elevator doors as he is getting on the lift.

The young man, identified as Hu (胡), appears to yell at the older man for around 50 seconds, while a companion and another female stand and watch. The old man bows his head multiple times until the group of three leave the lift.

The drama does not end, however, as the elderly man bumps into the group again in the lobby. Hu once again pesters the older man, who appears to apologize again and again.

The bullying continues for another minute until a stout man in a black suit walks in on the action. Hu then turns against the man in black.

Soon after, the elevator opens and four men rush out and start beating up Hu and his male companion. The female companion with Hu and the other man runs away. The fighting stops after Hu is knocked out cold on the floor.

Separate footage shows police officers arriving and the older man, the five suspects involved in the fight, and Hu and his friend being taken away in multiple police vehicles. SETN reported the group was later sent to a police station in Taichung City for further questioning.

Hu was said to have suffered mild injuries and scratches. The suspects and Hu reportedly did not press charges against each other, but the suspects may be prosecuted for violating the Social Order Maintenance Act.

Taichung police debunked a rumor suggesting the older man was a local gang leader, saying he and the man in black were just acquaintances. The man in black said he called his "friends working upstairs," adding they came to support him when he and the old man were being threatened.

The video footage has been widely shared since it was first posted to social media on Thursday (June 30) and received a lot of media attention. Viewers mostly reacted with a laugh, but there were some comments disagreeing with the violence — even if it was for a good cause.