A 68-year-old man in Taiwan has been charged with assault after punching a 20-year-old passenger on the Taipei MRT for refusing to give up a priority seat.
The incident took place at around 6pm on Tuesday (27 Jan) on the Taipei MRT.
According to Taiwan’s United Daily News, 68-year-old Wang (name transliterated from Mandarin) boarded the train at Houshanpi Station and noticed that Mr Pan (name transliterated from Mandarin), the 20-year-old man, was occupying the priority seat.
Source: UDN
After another passenger offered him a seat, Wang confronted Mr Pan, accusing him of having a “failed education” for not giving up his seat.
Mr Pan started to explain, but the situation escalated quickly. Wang punched Mr Pan in the face, striking his right jaw and wrist.
The two men got off at Yongchun Station, where station staff assisted in filing a report.
Officers arrived at the station after being notified by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) regarding a public disturbance.
Wang admitted to the physical assault during the inquiry. Mr Pan stated his intention to press charges for injury.
Source: UDN
Both parties were taken to the Wufenpu Precinct of the Xinyi Police District to record their statements. Following the inquiry, Wang was referred for prosecution on charges of assault.
A bystander reportedly filmed the altercation and posted the footage online, sparking an online debate among netizens.
While some remarked that the old man’s behaviour was excessive and unreasonable, others said they would have given up the priority seat for him.
Also read: Passengers in Taiwan fight over priority seats on bus, one of them turns out to be wanted suspect
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Featured image adapted from United Daily News.