Woman involved in Taipei Metro row arrested on outstanding warrant

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) A 73-year-old woman who was involved in a viral altercation over a priority seat on the Taipei Metro earlier this week was arrested Wednesday morning on a warrant for theft, authorities said.

In a video recording made Monday afternoon on the Taipei Metro's Red Line, the woman, surnamed Tseng (曾), approached a young man sitting in a priority seat and demanded that he get up.

When the young man refused, Tseng swung her tote bag and hit him several times. At this point, the man stood up and kicked Tseng, sending her flying across the carriage into a seat on the other side, the video showed.

After the video began spreading on social media Tuesday, the Taipei Metro issued a statement confirming that an altercation had broken out at around 4 p.m. Monday, on a Red Line train at Xinyi Anhe Station.

After a passenger reported the incident via intercom, a Taipei Metro station manager boarded the train and "handled" the issue, the metro operator said, adding that the Red Line's operations were not affected.

Neither party involved has pressed charges, according to the statement.

On Wednesday morning, photos were posted to social media that appeared to show Tseng being arrested outside a convenience store, apparently after "causing a commotion" inside.

Shortly after, the Taipei Police Department's Datong Precinct said in a statement that it had arrested a 73-year-old woman, surnamed Tseng, at a convenience store on Yanping North Road on a warrant for larceny issued Tuesday by the Shilin District Prosecutors Office.

According to several local media reports, Tseng was previously arrested and served time for several shoplifting incidents in 2023.

In June, she was sentenced to 55 days in prison for theft, but failed to report for prison, prompting authorities to issue a warrant for her arrest, the reports said.

Taipei Police said Tseng would be taken for questioning and then turned over to Shilin District prosecutors.

The Taipei Police Department's Rapid Transit Division, meanwhile, said it was planning to summon both Tseng and the young man for questioning over suspected violations of the Social Order Maintenance Act.