Manhunt underway for suspect who killed 2 cops in south Taiwan

正在對在南台灣殺害兩名警察的嫌疑人進行搜捕

Chen Wei-chieh is considered armed and dangerous, believed to be riding red heavy-duty motorcycle


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 scooter 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 heavy-duty motorcycle 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 (塗明誠) and 27 year-old Tsao Jui-chieh (曹瑞傑) found a stolen vehicle and called for backup. However, when Chen 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.