TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following media reports of a teenager assaulted by police officers in Changhua County in a case of mistaken identity, the top-ranking officer involved in the incident was removed from his post as a supervisor of the police department’s Puyan Township branch on Sunday (July 16).

The supervisor involved in the July 3 incident, Yeh Chung-mu (葉忠木), led two other Puyan Township officers to accost and assault the teenager after mistaking him for a Vietnamese migrant worker being sought by authorities. Initially, Yeh received a warning for not following proper protocol, while the two other officers received no disciplinary action.

However, the Changhua County Police Department revised their decision on Sunday and decided to remove Yeh from his position as police supervisor of Puyan Township, reported UDN. Further, the two other officers involved in the incident have been reprimanded with an official demerit for improper conduct while on duty.



The director of the sub-bureau overseeing the Puyan branch office, Huang Wang-chian (黃壬鍵), has also been officially reprimanded. The Changhua County Prosecutor’s office is reportedly investigating the incident to consider whether any criminal charges may be filed.

All three of the officers were wearing plainclothes at the time of the assault on the boy, a 17-year-old returning home from a part-time job. Officers allegedly tried to tell the victim they were police officers, but he did not hear them clearly and they rushed him as he tried to flee the dangerous situation.

While the incident immediately aroused the anger of local residents in Changhua, it was not widely reported by national media until nearly a week after the assault occurred. In addition to assaulting an innocent civilian, the officers have been heavily criticized for being out of uniform, accosting the teenager without showing their badges to make their identities as officers clear, and for failing to use bodycams when making an arrest.

The incident comes less than two months after police officers in Taoyuan were recorded using excessive force during the arrest of a man who rampaged through a 7-Eleven and assaulted police. Both events have spurred public discussion about the excessive use of force and improper conduct by Taiwanese police officers.