TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A man smashed the glass doors of a gym owned by Taiwanese internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢, also known as 館長) on Monday (Sept. 23).
At 10 a.m., a 43-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) allegedly drove up to the Genghis Khan Fitness Club entrance in a black car on Renai Road, Section 2, in New Taipei’s Linkou District, per SET News. Chen exited the vehicle, smashed the glass doors with a bat, then got back into his car and rammed it through the entrance in reverse twice before fleeing the scene.
The Linkou Police Station promptly notified nearby Luzhou and Xinzhuang police stations to launch a search for Chen. At around 11 a.m., patrol officers from the Fuying Police Station in Xinzhuang District apprehended Chen on Yumin Street.
He was later transferred to the Wenhua Police Station in Linkou District for further investigation. Details of the case are still being clarified.
After his arrest, the suspect claimed that Holger Chen had disclosed his personal information during a livestream and threatened to make it impossible for him to find work, reported ETtoday. In April of this year, he filed a defamation lawsuit against Holger Chen.
The suspect admitted that he vandalized the gym out of revenge. Holger Chen stated that he will file charges against the suspect for malicious mischief (毀損罪), threatening and endangering public safety (恐嚇危害安全罪), and if any customers suffer injuries or death as a result, he will also pursue charges of attempted murder (殺人未遂罪).
A similar incident occurred on June 12, when a man surnamed Lin drove his truck through the doors of the Genghis Khan Fitness Club on Chongde Road in Taichung’s Beitun District. Lin claimed that he had been rejected for a position as a fitness instructor at the club and said “emotional instability” caused him to lose control and drive into the gym.
