By KHT Staff. Enhanced image via Yahoo News.
PINGTUNG — A 78-year-old woman fought off a suspected bag snatcher in Pingtung County, pulling him from his scooter and striking him with a broken shoulder strap during a confrontation captured on surveillance video.
The attempted theft happened shortly after 7 a.m. on June 24 on Cyujhen Road in Chaozhou Township (潮州鎮), according to Chaozhou Precinct police.
Police said a 44-year-old man surnamed Hong (洪) followed the woman on a scooter before approaching her from behind and grabbing her bag.
The woman, surnamed Lo (羅), held on as she fell to the ground and was dragged along the road. The suspect briefly gained control of the bag but had difficulty leaving on his scooter.
Lo then got back to her feet, grabbed the man’s clothing, and pulled him and the scooter to the ground.
After recovering her bag, she picked up its broken strap and repeatedly struck the suspect while demanding compensation and criticizing him for riding without a visible license plate.
“You are really terrible. You have to compensate me,” she can be heard saying in footage that spread widely on Taiwanese social media this week.
The confrontation lasted almost two minutes before Hong restarted the scooter and left.
Lo suffered abrasions but was not seriously injured, TVBS reported. She said she resisted because the bag contained important delivery documents connected with her farming business.
Lo is a retired elementary school teacher who now farms and grows jackfruit, according to local reports.
Police reviewed surveillance footage and arrested Hong within 24 hours. He was questioned and referred to the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office (屏東地方檢察署) on suspicion of attempted snatching.
Hong was initially released under residential restrictions, but was later arrested in a separate suspected drug-driving case and ordered detained, local media reported.
Although the video has been widely shared for its unexpected ending, police generally advise victims not to physically confront thieves because suspects may be armed, and recovering property is less important than personal safety.
Video: TVBS published footage of the attempted theft and an interview with Lo, while FTV posted a longer version of the surveillance recording.
