Taichung police seize arsenal of illegal guns, arrest 2

台中警方查獲非法槍枝，逮捕2人

Suspect rammed police car, officers shot front tire, broke driver's window to make arrest


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police officers in central Taiwan arrested two men for possessing illegal weapons after an altercation on the street in Taichung’s Xitun District on Saturday (Oct. 21).

The two suspects, a man surnamed Tsai (蔡) and a man surnamed Huang (黃), were apprehended on a street in front of a supermarket after officers confirmed the pair had a large cache of illegal firearms. During the incident, Tsai attempted to flee in his car by ramming into a police vehicle and backing into two civilian cars parked on the street, reported CNA.

In response to Tsai’s escape attempt, a police officer fired a single round into the car’s front tire as he was trying to escape. Officers later said that Tsai reached for a fully loaded handgun and was prepared to fire on officers.

One police officer had a fire extinguisher on hand, and sprayed it to obscure Tsai’s vision, before using it to smash the driver’s window, reported UDN. Officers then used pepper spray to subdue Cai before they dragged him from the car and put him in handcuffs.

During the vehicle search, two submachine guns, a shotgun, and nearly a dozen handguns were found along with ammunition. UDN reported that a brick of heroin was also discovered in the vehicle.

During a press conference on Saturday evening, the Taichung Police Department said they had been investigating Huang as a suspected dealer of illegal drugs and weapons. On Saturday, officers were able to confirm Huang and Tsai had illegal weapons and they immediately reported to the Taichung District Prosecutor’s Office to be granted an arrest warrant.

Officers located the pair around 1 p.m. near a supermarket on Henan Rd. While Huang had entered an apartment building, Tsai was waiting in the vehicle parked on the road.

The police first arrested Huang as he was leaving the building, and he did not resist the officers. However, when Tsai realized that Huang had been detained, he immediately tried to flee, prompting officers to use force.

The suspect and arresting officers received minor cuts from the window glass, while they subdued Tsai. The weapons seized during the arrest were described as a “mobile arsenal” and were surrendered to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office along with the drugs as evidence.