Taipei police to crack down on gangs for 10 days after sauna shooting

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Police in Taipei said Thursday they will conduct a 10-day crackdown on organized crime after a suspected local gang leader was shot and wounded outside a sauna.

Lu Chun-hung (盧俊宏), commander of the Taipei City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, said that the division and the Datong Precinct had formed a task force to track down persons of interest and vigorously sweep the headquarters of known criminal organizations.

On Wednesday evening, a 33-year-old man, surnamed Peng (彭), handed himself into police after shooting another man, surnamed Wu (吳), outside a sauna in Datong District.

Peng, a cafe owner, told police that he had carried out the attack because Wu's organization had demanded protection money from him.

Peng said he had been given the pistol used in the shooting by a now-deceased friend, according to police.

Lin Sheng-chang (林聖章), the deputy commissioner of the Datong Precinct, said that surveillance footage showed Peng driving his wife's car to the scene of the crime an hour before the shooting.

After fleeing the scene, he parked the car and called his wife to ask a friend to help drive the vehicle away, before walking to a nearby police station and surrendering.

The police are currently investigating Peng's motives and background. His wife and the friend who helped drive his car have been listed as witnesses in the case.

Peng did not have a background in organized crime, but had criminal records in offenses against freedom and causing bodily harm, according to those familiar with the matter.