10-7-2023 (TAIPEI) In a remarkable act of bravery, a young woman in Taiwan narrowly escaped a daylight slashing incident on Sunday thanks to the intervention of four courageous passers-by. The incident unfolded around noon in Taitung, a coastal city in southeast Taiwan.
A man named Hsu, accompanied by his two adult sons, found themselves waiting at a red light in their car when they noticed a woman being attacked by a man wielding a box cutter. The assailant had followed the woman into an alley, and instincts told Hsu that immediate action was necessary to save her life.
Thinking quickly, Hsu grabbed a soup ladle from his car, while his sons armed themselves with a table fan from a nearby betel nut stall and the woman’s hard case luggage. Together, they confronted the attacker, diverting his attention away from the woman, as reported by the United Daily News.
Closed-circuit television footage captured the tense standoff under the scorching sun. The alleged attacker, identified by the surname Chang and wearing a blue long-sleeved top, brandished his cutter while being surrounded by the three men. The elder Hsu courageously struck at Chang’s hand holding the weapon from behind with his ladle, successfully disarming him.
A fourth passer-by joined the effort, wielding what appeared to be a metal rod. The trio managed to subdue Chang, pinning him face down on the road. In a separate video, the 50-year-old Chang can be heard yelling, “Don’t press me down, the ground is very hot.”
The victim, a 26-year-old woman named Ms. Chiang, sustained slash wounds to her ears, neck, left hand, and left thigh. The Taitung police confirmed during a press conference that the suspect had been arrested, and Ms. Chiang was in stable condition. The authorities discovered a second box cutter in the suspect’s backpack and are investigating the incident as attempted murder. However, the motive behind the attack and the relationship between the suspect and the victim remain unclear. Local media outlets have reported that they are not known to each other.
This incident serves as a testament to the courage and quick thinking of the bystanders who risked their own safety to protect a stranger. Their selfless actions have undoubtedly prevented a tragic outcome and highlight the importance of community solidarity in ensuring public safety.
