TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese actor Darren Wang (王大陸), who is already facing charges for evading military service, was released on bail Wednesday following questioning over an alleged attempted murder.
Wang, 33, who gained fame for his role in “Our Times,” recently made headlines for his military service evasion scheme. When the New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office was investigating this they found chat records and footage allegedly ordering an assault.
The incident reportedly occurred last year when Wang used Uber to hail a ride in Taipei. During the ride, Wang accused the driver of purposely taking a longer route, leading to a verbal altercation.
After getting out of the car, Wang realized he had left his keys inside. Unable to open the door, he allegedly began banging on the window, angering the driver.
Wang recorded the car’s license plate and later complained to a man surnamed Yu (游), who allegedly instructed others to track down the vehicle. The driver was later found in New Taipei City's Zhonghe District, where they stopped the car, assaulted the driver, and captured the incident on camera as proof.
New Taipei prosecutors launched a search operation Tuesday morning under the charge of "attempted murder." Officers searched multiple locations and took Wang and Yu into custody, while efforts to apprehend other suspects remain ongoing.
At around 11 p.m. Tuesday, the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office said Wang and Yu were suspected of inciting assault under the Criminal Code and illegally using private information in breach of the Personal Data Protection Act. Wang also faces additional charges for telling a public official to record false information.
Given the severity of the allegations and the risk of flight, collusion, or destruction of evidence, prosecutors requested both suspects detained without visitation rights.
On Wednesday, New Taipei District Court ruled that Wang be released on NT$5 million (US$152,000) bail, while Yu remains in detention without visitation rights.
