TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- When taking her mother out for dinner last night (Feb. 22), a woman was suddenly attacked by another woman with a knife, severing her finger and slashing her stomach open.

Last night, a 68-year-old woman surnamed Lin (林) was exiting her vehicle on her way to buy takeout in Tainan's South District, when she was suddenly assaulted by a woman in her 30s wielding a 15-centimeter-long knife. The suspect stabbed Lin four times, causing her to sustain gruesome injuries, including a severed right finger and a gashed stomach, which exposed her intestines, reported Apple Daily.

Lin is currently listed in critical condition, while the suspect fled the scene. Police immediately began scouring the community and reviewing surveillance camera footage to try to track down the assailant.

Lin's relatives told the police that the victim had lived abroad for many years and had recently returned home to visit her 92-year-old mother for Lunar New Year. The victim had been staying in her sister's house in Tainan's East District.

Last night, Lin drove to the Dalin Public Housing Commercial District (大林國宅商圈), bought takeout for dinner, and then picked up her mother, who lived nearby. She then drove her mother to her sister's house, where they were to have dinner together.

Still of surveillance video of suspect. (Tainan Police Department image)

After parking the car at 6:13 p.m., Lin the stepped out of the vehicle and went to No. 108 Datong Road, Section 2, where a female stranger approached her. According to a male witness surnamed Ho (何), Lin had just parked her car and began walking on the sidewalk when he initially thought another woman began to "play with her."

Suddenly, Lin started to scream for help. Alarmed and realizing that something was wrong, Ho shouted to the assailant "what are you doing?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of a bystander, the suspect fled the scene and ran north along Datong Road, Section Two. Ho said that he originally planned to chase the suspect, but when he realized that Lin's intestines had been exposed by a deep knife wound, he quickly called for an ambulance and grabbed towels from his car to apply pressure.

The Tainan Fire Department quickly dispatched an ambulance. When paramedics arrived on the scene, they discovered that Lin had suffered a 5-centimeter-long wound to her abdomen, exposing the viscera.

Lin had also suffered three knife wounds to her hands, with a finger on her right hand so badly cut that it was only attached by sliver of skin, and her blood pressure had dropped precipitously. Paramedics then rushed her to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment.

Knife suspected to have been used by suspect. (Tainan Police Department image)

At 1 a.m. this morning, police began to pore over surveillance camera footage. They soon discovered that, prior to committing the crime, the suspect had parked her scooter at a location nearby and concealed it near a temple.

The suspect then walked about one or two kilometers before reaching the scene of the crime. After committing the assault, she took a meandering course of about three or four kilometers before retrieving her scooter.

After viewing surveillance footage, police were able to identify the woman's license, which they used to pinpoint her place of residence. Police found that she was a 30-year-old woman, also surnamed Lin (林), who had a criminal record of drug offenses, reported Liberty Times.

Although police determined that the suspect was inside her home, they had not yet obtained a search warrant and could not yet enter the house. The judge granted a search warrant at 8:30 a.m., but policed decided they wanted to preserve any evidence that was inside the home, and instead decided to wait until she stepped outside to arrest her.

At 10 a.m., the suspect prepared to leave her home, and that was when officers rushed to apprehend her. In the home, police confiscated the knife they believe was used in the attack, and by 11 a.m. this morning, the suspect was brought into the police station for questioning.

Police are still investigating the motive of the crime.

Suspect being escorted by police. (Tainan Policed Department photo)