Woman arrested after fatally driving police officer into fence

New Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) A woman suspected of possessing drugs was arrested early Tuesday morning after fatally dragging a police officer holding on to the side of her car into a fence after he attempted to conduct a roadside check, New Taipei police said.

The suspect, surnamed Chen (陳), was arrested at her friend's residence at 1 a.m. along with two friends after fleeing the scene of the incident, according to police, who said they found amphetamines, etomidate, and vape cartridges in her possession.

The 30-year-old Chen dragged Liu Tsung-hsin (劉宗鑫), 38, head of the Chingshui Police Station in Tucheng Precinct, about 500 meters near the New Taipei District Court at high speed before ramming him into fences lining a construction site.

Liu was critically injured and pronounced dead after being taken to nearby Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, while Chen fled the scene on foot, police said.

According to police, Liu took an interest in Chen's vehicle at 11 p.m. on Monday, suspecting that it was illegally parked, and attempted to conduct a roadside check.

During the process, Liu discovered that the car was not properly registered and suspected Chen of possessing drugs, prompting him to ask her to step out of the vehicle.

Chen refused to comply, however, and tried to drive away. Liu grabbed hold of the steering wheel in an attempt to stop the car, but Chen accelerated, trying to shake him off, and eventually steered the left side of the car into the fences, injuring Liu, police said.

Chen was still in police custody later Tuesday morning. It was unclear whether she was driving under the influence of drugs.

According to sources, Chen had a prior drug offense.

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