Latest update on 2022/08/23 10:00 - Chen Wei-chieh (陳偉捷) turned himself in at a police station in Tainan late Monday (Aug. 22) and said he was not the killer of the two police officers. Police confirmed his claim after finding his fingerprints did not match with the ones collected from a scooter abandoned by the killer near the crime scene. The killer was arrested Tuesday morning and was identified as Lin Hsin-wu (林信吾), an escaped prisoner from one of Tainan's correctional facilities.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A manhunt is currently underway for a suspect believed to have fatally wounded two police officers in Tainan City.
On Monday morning (Aug. 22), a shooting was reported on Beishanwei 3rd Road in Tainan City's Annan District. Two police officers died at the scene after pursuing a wanted criminal for motorcycle theft.
Police have since issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was identified as Chen Wei-chieh (陳偉捷), reported CNA. He is believed to be riding a stolen red scooter with the license plate 369-PGB.
Because an officer's firearm is missing and Chen is considered to be armed and dangerous, officers in all precincts in Tainan are now required to be fully armed when on patrol. According to police, the Taixi Precinct of the Yunlin County Police Department issued a warrant for Chen's arrest on July 15.
At a press conference that afternoon, Tainan City Police Chief Fang Yang-ning (方仰寧) said that when the incident occurred, 36 year-old Tu Ming-cheng (凃明誠) and 27 year-old Tsao Jui-chieh (曹瑞傑) found a stolen vehicle and called for backup. However, when a police officer surnamed Chen (陳) arrived by scooter at the scene, he found the two officers lying on the ground covered in blood and immediately called for an ambulance.
Fang said that Tu was on duty and armed with a police firearm, but no guns or magazines were found at the scene. Police suspect that Chen seized the weapon before fleeing the scene.
In addition, bullet holes were found at the crime scene and police cannot rule out the possibility that, during a struggle, the suspect managed to grab the gun and used it to shoot and kill the officers. As for Officer Tsao, he was not armed at the time of the incident.
Mugshot of Chen Wei-chieh taken on July 15. (Yunlin County Police Department photo)
