Taxi driver rams vehicle into prosecutors' office, allegedly over court rulings

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) A taxi driver rammed his vehicle into the Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutors' Office early Thursday morning, likely in protest against court rulings that went against him, according to the Taipei City Police Department.

In a press release, the department's Zhongzheng First Precinct said it received a report at 5:46 a.m. that a taxi was driven into the front door of the office, which is located near the Presidential Office Building.

Upon arriving at the scene, police arrested a taxi driver, surnamed Shao (邵), and seized his cab.

The incident resulted in property damage and no injuries.

Although Shao's motive remains under investigation, police said preliminary findings suggest he may have acted out of dissatisfaction with the outcomes of several legal cases involving him, including a ruling issued Wednesday.

The police said Shao vented his dissatisfaction with Taiwan's judicial system on social media following Wednesday's ruling and later began surveilling the prosecutors' office before driving his taxi into the building early Thursday.

The vehicle had slogans including "the judicial system is dead" painted on it, according to the police.

Following his arrest, the police said Shao was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He was arrested on suspicion of violating several provisions of Taiwan's Criminal Code, including obstruction of justice, public disorder and property damage.

The police have turned the case over to the Taipei Prosecutors' Office, which said it will seek to determine the motive for Shao's actions.

On Thursday, United Daily News (UDN) reported that Shao had been involved in a defamation civil lawsuit with a medical professional and two traffic-related legal cases, adding that Wednesday's ruling involved one of the traffic offenses.

UDN said Shao was sentenced to over five months in prison for the three cases.

In addition, ETtoday, which reported Shao to be 53, said surveillance footage showed him walking toward his vehicle near the Taipei Prosecutors' Office at around 5 a.m. before getting into the cab. He then made a U-turn and drove directly toward the office, accelerating before impact, according to the news outlet.