The investigation revealed that a criminal syndicate had mined gravel from agricultural lands in Meinong District (美濃區) since October 2017.

A 71-year-old scooter rider was killed in a suspected red-light crash in Yanpu Township, Pingtung County, on Jan. 27. Police said the driver fled but was arrested about five hours later in Kaohsiung’s Fengshan District. Investigators reported positive drug screening and seized suspected drugs and multiple guns from the car.

Prosecutors in Taiwan have indicted a former Kaohsiung mental health official accused of using his access to government systems to identify and assault a 16-year-old girl. The case has widened into a dispute over when the city disciplined the suspect and why a major administrative penalty became public months later.

The pursuit continued into Dajhong 1st Road (大中一路), where traffic congestion briefly slowed the suspect’s vehicle. Police attempted to block the car, but the driver reversed and deliberately struck a police vehicle, prompting officers to open fire at the car’s front tires in an effort to stop it. Despite the shots, the vehicle escaped.

According to Fongshan Police Precinct (鳳山分局), a 26-year-old surnamed Song allegedly owed NT$250,000 in gambling-related debt and had refused to meet the creditor. The creditor, a 34-year-old surnamed Chang, is accused of arranging a meeting using a young woman as a decoy.

Local media coverage highlighted not just the specifics of the case but also broader concerns about the misuse of substances like GHB or “G-water” to incapacitate victims

Upon close inspection, Chung discovered that the sign used by the city lacked this white border, rendering it legally invalid as a formal traffic prohibition.

Since the new rules came into effect on Jan. 1, builders and haulers have warned that real-world capacity is lagging behind the policy’s scope, citing shortages of compliant vehicles and limited legal destinations for soil disposal and reuse.

The case has drawn public attention not only for the brutality of the murders — including the presence of child witnesses — but also for discussions about the application of the death penalty standard in Taiwan’s legal system, which requires that capital punishment be reserved for “the most serious crimes.” The High Court reiterated that this benchmark applies based on evidence and individual case severity rather than a literal count of victims alone.

The driver sustained minor injuries and was trapped inside the overturned vehicle until emergency responders arrived. Officers later discovered three packets of heroin and an e-cigarette containing etomidate inside the car.