TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A teenage boy who is of mixed Taiwanese and Vietnamese heritage suffered head injuries while fleeing police who mistook him for an unaccounted-for migrant worker in central Taiwan.
Early evening on July 3, the 17-year-old from Puyan Township in Changhua County was riding a bicycle to a farm. However, when he passed Puyan Panjin Road, police officers mistakenly identified him as a fugitive migrant worker and arrested him, reported ETtoday.
Not knowing the men were police officers, the boy struggled to escape.During the process he smashed his head into a cultivator, causing a wound that required 17 stitches.
Officers rush toward teen. (Changhua County Police Department screenshot)
In a video of the incident, the teenager was riding a bicycle when an unmarked black sedan pulled up beside him. Two plainclothes policemen then lunged toward the boy, who tried to run away.
As the officers chased the teen, the left side of his face hit the jagged edge of a cultivator, knocking him over. As he struggled to get back on his feet, the three officers rushed forward, surrounded the boy, and tried to wrestle him to the ground.
Teen hits head on cultivator. (Changhua County Police Department screenshot)
One of the officers squeezed the teen's neck, while the two other officers grabbed his legs and forced him to the ground.
Due to the commotion caused by the arrest, nearby residents came out to see what had happened. However, the police noticed that he did not have a foreign accent and realized that they had arrested the wrong person.
(Changhua County Police Department screenshot)
Police learned the 17-year-old's father is Taiwanese, but had been raised solely by his mother who is from Vietnam. He had taken a part-time job during his summer vacation from high school to help out his family.
The boy was reportedly frightened by the men coming out of the car thinking they were kidnappers, and he shouted, "Help!" He also said that he implored them, saying, "I didn't do anything, don't arrest me."
(Changhua County Police Department screenshot)
It was not until after the struggle had ended did the men show their badges to the teen. However, he had already suffered a laceration on his face during the arrest and was sent to a nearby hospital, where he received 17 stitches for the wound.
The incident sparked a heated debate in the local area. Changhua County Councilor Chang Chun-yang (張春洋) immediately questioned the police about the incident.
(Changhua County Police Department screenshot)
The police responded that if the investigation shows the allegations of wrongful arrest are true, they will take full responsibility.
The Changhua County Police Department was cited by CNA as saying the chief of the Puyan Substation, surnamed Yeh (葉), who was involved in the incident, received a warning for breaking the rules, but the two other police officers were not punished as they acted under Yeh's orders. The substation's officers have since been told to wear uniforms when performing similar duties in the future to avoid misunderstandings by the public.
Teen uses his phone in the immediate aftermath of the incident. (CNA photo)
Chang said that although police have pledged to provide compensation, a settlement has not yet been reached with the boy's mother. Chang said that he will continue to assist the boy and follow up.
