TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Eight foreign skateboarders on Wednesday (March 13) were fined over NT$60,000 (US$1,800) for damaging a Taipei MRT station and half of them face further fines for jumping the turnstiles.
Near Yongning Station's Exit 2 at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday (March 12), eight men were skateboarding on the MRT plaza for about 30 minutes, per SET News. They used the skylight glass to perform stunts. MRT staff discovered the skaters caused a 10 cm crack and two scratches that were about 20 cm in length.
(Taipei City Police Department screenshot)
Around 7 p.m. the Yongning Station station manager noticed the same eight men swiping their cards to re-enter the station. He tried to intercept them and notified local and MRT police.
However, the men ran off and four jumped over the turnstiles to get onto the MRT.
(Taipei City Police Department screenshot)
MRT staff stopped one of the men and took him to the MRT police station for questioning. Through this man, they were able to contact the other seven.
The eight skaters reached a compromise with the MRT police in which they agreed to pay Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) NT$66,452 to compensate for the damage to the glass. As a result, the corporation will not press further charges. However, they still face as much as NT$22,500 each in fines for three other violations.
(Taipei City Police Department screenshot)
It will still punish the four men for breaching the Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法) for failing to pay for their MRT tickets, with each facing a fine of between NT$1,500 and NT$7,500. Seven face NT$1,500 to NT$7,5000 fines for entering unauthorized areas and all eight face the same fine range for "impeding the facilities or operational safety of the mass rapid transit system."
The eight skateboarding enthusiasts, who met online, include five Americans, one Canadian, one Japanese, and one Australian ranging in age from 27 to 35. reported UDN. They are sponsored by the California-based skateboarding company Girl Skateboards, which provided skateboards and other items, according to ETtoday.
(Taipei City Police Department screenshot)
The men entered Taiwan separately from late February to early March, and are planning to stay in Taiwan for 20 days.
(Taipei City Police Department screenshot)
Video shows 8 foreign men illegally skateboard on Taipei MRT entrance and later jump turnstile https://t.co/ATEag00sLd pic.twitter.com/s6fPeDWzJs
— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNewsEN) March 16, 2024
