A 19-year-old man surnamed Wan was brutally attacked with a knife and a baseball bat in the parking lot of Nangang CITYLINK, Taipei, early Thursday morning. The assault, carried out by two men surnamed Pan, left Wan with injuries to his waist and hip.
According to police, the incident occurred shortly after midnight when Wan and a friend were leaving the cinema. The two assailants suddenly approached — one wielding a fruit knife and the other a baseball bat — and attacked Wan before smashing the windshield of his car and fleeing the scene. Wan was rushed to the hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition.
Police reviewed CCTV footage and quickly identified two suspects. The attackers had abandoned their vehicle in the Keelung mountain area after the assault. One of them, a 36-year-old Pan, was later tracked down to a hair salon on Zhongxiao East Road, where he was caught while dyeing his hair in an attempt to change his appearance and evade arrest. The other suspect, a 38-year-old Pan, surrendered himself later that night.
During a related raid at a motel where one of the suspects had been earlier, police found five other individuals and seized drug-laced coffee packets, “zombie” vape oil, drug packaging tools, and a modified handgun. All five were detained for further investigation.
Both suspects claimed the attack was over a NT$10.5 million (RM215,000) debt dispute with the victim. However, police said their statements were inconsistent and revealed that one of them had prior links to a fraud syndicate, suggesting the case may be tied to organized crime.
The investigation is ongoing, and both suspects have been charged with attempted murder and other related offenses.
