Taiwanese Man Flees Police, Hides in Sewage Treatment Tank, Eventually Surrenders
A Taiwanese man who evaded police by hiding in a sewage tank was sentenced to additional prison time for assaulting officers and attempted escape during his arrest in November 2024.
A Taiwanese man named Chen from Jilong city was sentenced to 1 year and 7 months for document forgery but failed to report to the prosecutor's office as required, resulting in an arrest warrant. When two police officers attempted to apprehend him on November 4, 2024, in a parking lot, he violently resisted, hitting and kicking the officers and causing bruises and lacerations. While being transported to a hospital for his own injuries, Chen rammed a police officer and fled. During the chase, he jumped into a nearby pit to hide. When reinforcements arrived, officers persuaded him continuously and had his family call to convince him to surrender. Chen eventually crawled out, his entire body covered in sewage from what turned out to be an old treatment tank. Firefighters used high-pressure water hoses to clean him. The court sentenced him to 4 months imprisonment for assaulting officers and attempting to escape, with the option to pay a fine of 120,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately 123,000 baht) instead. The court noted his low regard for the law but considered his confession and willingness to compensate the injured officers in its sentencing.
