A viral video showing a passenger kicking an elderly woman during a priority seat dispute on the Taipei Metro in Taiwan has taken a dramatic twist — the 73-year-old has now been arrested.
After a video of the incident went viral, it was discovered that she had been involved in several theft cases.
Source: TVBS News
She was arrested at a convenience store on Wednesday (1 Oct), a day after the metro incident.
After the altercation, police revealed that the elderly woman, surnamed Tseng (transliterated from Chinese), was no ordinary commuter — she was in fact a wanted fugitive.
Officers from Taipei’s Datong Precinct said she had been convicted in multiple theft cases. However, she failed to report for her sentence, leading to a warrant for her arrest.
Source: ETtoday
According to ETtoday, she was tracked down and detained the next morning at a convenience store in Datong District.
When police moved in, Tseng reportedly resisted, shouting, “This is fake! Show me the evidence! Help!” before being led away.
She then began yelling, “Thank you, take as many pictures as possible!” to the media when she saw them waiting outside the police station, TVBS news said.
Source: ETtoday
Investigations revealed that Tseng had stolen petty goods on at least four occasions, according to ETtoday.
On 25 Aug 2023, she allegedly stole cold crispy bamboo shoots, a set of pliers, a storage box, and four forks. The stolen goods amounted to NT$379 (S$16).
The next day, she returned to the same store and stole a red bean pastry and a ready-to-eat spaghetti meal that cost NT$93 (S$3.90).
Source: ETtoday
She allegedly justified the theft by claiming the tools were for “scientific research”, adding that Taiwan’s high rates of dialysis patients were linked to the healthcare system.
She said she did not pay for the items as she did not have the time to earn money, ETtoday said.
Prosecutors did not buy her reasoning, and she was sentenced to 55 days’ detention.
However, she did not show up to serve the prison term, thus prompting a warrant for her arrest.
A day before her arrest, Tseng went viral on social media for repeatedly hitting a younger passenger with her bag, demanding that they vacate a priority seat.
Source: @queen7_910 on Threads
The confrontation ended when the passenger stood up and kicked Tseng, sending her sprawling onto nearby seats.
Source: @queen7_910 on Threads
The video went viral on social media, sparking fierce debate about respect for the elderly, entitlement to priority seats, and how far one can go when provoked.
Also read: Passenger kicks elderly woman on Taiwan subway after being hit by bag over priority seat
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Featured image adapted from TVBS News and @queen7_910 on Threads.