Criminal fatally stabs officer in police car

Officer Lai Chi-yen, 27, of the Zhongshan District police force was rushed to the Mackay Memorial Hospital, where he was placed on life support due to three particularly deep cuts that pierced his carotid artery.

Judging by the severity of his injuries and inability to breathe unassisted, doctors pronounced Lai brain dead. With his family by his side, Lai was taken off life support at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

Lai began serving in the police force on Jan. 23 and was directed to the Dazhi police substation of the Zhongshan District office on May 4.

Troubled Criminal's Unexpected Outburst

The suspect Dai Wei-hua is being held at the Zhongshan Police District office and according to a court prosecutor, has been uncooperative in his interrogation. Dai is believed to suffer from bipolar disorder. His family and girlfriend, who is currently employed at the Taipei County Police Bureau, were reportedly shocked at the news of his violent behavior.

According to police reports, Dai has a history of deception. In 2004, Dai violated the Fort Act by taking pictures of the top-secret Hengshan Command Post and sending them to cousins in China. For the crime, he was sentenced to a year and one month. Dai jumped bail and had been on the run since.

At 11 p.m. Monday, officer Chun Min-hong, 25, flagged Dai down on his scooter and identified him as a wanted criminal. Chun then called Lai for backup to help apprehend Dai.

Lai arrived alone in his patrol car and ushered Dai into the backseat. He did not handcuff the man nor did he perform a customary search. Unbeknownst to the officer, Dai was carrying a 30-centimeter long fruit knife.

Around 11:30 p.m., as Lai's patrol car -- with Chun trailing them -- reached the door of Dazhi police substation, Dai suddenly plunged the knife repeatedly into Lai's neck and back.

Chun grabbed his gun and shot the car's left rear-door window. Five officers came to his aid and Dai was dragged out the window through shards of glass. Lai was immediately placed in an ambulance.

Mayor, Police Chief: Stronger Training Needed

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin and National Police Association Director-General Wang Cho-chun visited Lai and his family at the hospital. Hau said the tragedy was heartbreaking yet the case sheds light on the importance of police training, duty and safety. Both Hau and Wang expressed their condolences toward Lai's family.

Zhongshan police chief Wang Ching-Lian expressed his dismay at the horrible tragedy. He emphasized that Lai's failure to search or handcuff the man conflicted with police training. Wang added that more measures will be taken to ensure that training procedures are implemented.

According to the police administration, both Lai and Chun passed their police examinations within this year and were quickly placed in the Security Unit. They had very limited experience dealing with suspects and Lai may not have thought Dai was physically intimidating.

The police office emphasized that no matter how compliant the suspect, the most basic training dictates that officers must search and handcuff the arrested, who must then be monitored by at least two policemen. The office said the combination of inexperience — eschewing the above three procedures — and the unfortunate encounter with a suspect like Dai resulted in the terrible tragedy.

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