On 21 May 2014, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree targeting random civilians on a
Taipei Metro C321 train near
Jiangzicui Station, resulting in four deaths and 24 injuries. It was the first fatal attack on the city's subway system since operations began in 1996.
The attacker, 21-year-old Cheng Chieh, was arrested after the attack. He was sentenced to death, in addition to 144 years in prison, and was executed on 10 May 2016.
Attack
The attack started on 21 May 2014 at around 16:25
local time, inside a
Bannan Line train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
heading west between
Longshan Temple Station in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
and Jiangzicui Station in New Taipei. The distance between the two stations is the longest between any two stations in the Taipei metro system, lasting three to five minutes.
During the attack, the assailant chased and hacked passengers with a 30 cm long fruit knife.
Before the train could stop at Jiangzicui Station, a group of passengers banded together to distance themselves using umbrellas while others tried to discourage the attacker by loudly taunting him.
Victims
According to statistics compiled by the New Taipei Fire Department, the youngest victim was a 26-year-old graduate student at
National Cheng Kung University
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the East District, Tainan, East District of Tainan, Taiwan. Founded in 1931 during Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule as an engineering ...
, identified as Chang Cheng-han (male). The other three killed were 28-year-old Hsieh Ching-yun (male), 47-year-old Pan Pi-chu and 62-year-old Lee Tsui-yun (both female). They were all taken to different hospitals in Taipei and New Taipei, the department said. In addition, 24 others were wounded during the knife attack, 10 critically.
Perpetrator
Cheng Chieh (), also
romanized
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
as Zheng Jie, was born 3 April 1993 in the
Banqiao District
Banqiao District () Banciao, Panchiao or Pan-ch'iao is a District (Taiwan), district and the seat of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It has the third-highest population density in Taiwan, with over . Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao was a ...
, and attended schools in Taipei. He grew up with few friends and was extremely focused on his studies. Cheng was also interested in violent online games and had written horror stories.
In elementary school, Cheng threatened to kill classmates over small disagreements. In
junior high school
Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, middle school includes ...
, he carried a knife for a month looking for a chance to stab his teacher. In high school, Cheng began blogging about his plans to kill and posted articles about murders. He enrolled in the
Chung Cheng Institute of Technology in 2011 with the intention of receiving military training but was expelled two years later. He then transferred to
Tunghai University
Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...
.
School officials there noticed Cheng's startling social media activity and offered him counseling before the incident, but no irregularities were discovered. At the time of the attack, Cheng lived in the
Banqiao District
Banqiao District () Banciao, Panchiao or Pan-ch'iao is a District (Taiwan), district and the seat of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It has the third-highest population density in Taiwan, with over . Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao was a ...
of New Taipei with his parents and younger brother.
After graduating from high school, Cheng enrolled in the Department of Power and Systems Engineering at the
National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to:
:''Alphabetical by country'' University
* Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan
* National Defense University (Azerbaijan)
* People's Liberation Army National Defe ...
; until June 2013 in the second semester of his sophomore year, when he was reprimanded by the school for failing to obtain more than half of the credits in that semester. He dropped out,
and in September of the same year, he entered the second year of the Department of Environmental Engineering at
Tunghai University
Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...
, through the transfer exam. During the university's winter vacation in 2014, Cheng again applied to transfer to another school. He aimed to transfer to the Chinese literature department but failed the exam.
Cheng's parents told the police that he had a lively personality in high school, and his personality changed after he dropped out of National Defense University.
Aftermath
When the subway train arrived at Jiangzicui Station, a single suspected assailant was subdued by passengers, police and metro staff and taken to the nearby Haishan police station after a brief standoff. Taipei Mayor
Hau Lung-pin
Hau Lung-pin (; born 22 August 1952) is a Taiwanese politician and chemist. As a member of the New Party, he was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995, and resigned his seat to lead the Environmental Protection Administration in 2001. Hau ...
said police presence on the metro was increased soon after the incident and added that he was requesting reinforcements from the
National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: National Revolut ...
.
On 22 May, the suspect was taken to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for questioning. A prosecutor applied to detain him in the New Taipei District Court, which was approved by a judge around 6:20 am. He was detained in the Taipei Detention Center located in
Tucheng District
Tucheng District () is a District (Taiwan), district in the southwestern part of New Taipei City, Taiwan.
History
On 26 June 1993, Tucheng was upgraded from Township (Taiwan), rural township to a county-administered city within Taipei County. ...
, with an inmate number of 1892.
Trainset number 117/118, which was the setting of the stabbing attack, was temporarily withdrawn from service after arrival at Jiangzicui Station and underwent disinfection and change of seats. It was then renumbered 175/176 (173/174 was avoided as "" (pinyin: ) sounds like "" (), which literally means "kill together, die together") and returned to service in May 2015.
Questioning after attack
New Taipei Police Chief identified the suspected attacker as Cheng Chieh, a 21-year-old second-year student at
Tunghai University
Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...
in the central city of
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Ce ...
. Chief Chen said the suspect told police he had wanted to do something "shocking and big" and had plotted to carry out the attack from childhood. Chen said no other motive was presently known.
During questioning, the suspect said he originally intended to attack after his college graduation, but decided to move earlier since he had "no classes" on 21 May and he had grown tired of living. The suspect stated that he did not admit guilt, felt no regret, wanted the death sentence, and that even if his parents were on the train he attacked, he would have killed them, as well as the prosecutors questioning him.
Reactions

On the evening of 21 May, people began leaving flowers and cards at an exit of Jiangzicui Station to pay tribute to those who died in the attack.
On 22 May, President
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...
condemned the attack and ordered the
National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: National Revolut ...
to investigate what led a university student to stab four people to death on a crowded subway train. The
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...
on 23 May released a joint statement signed by all political parties calling for the National Police Agency to thoroughly re-examine and increase police deployment on metro systems, railways and airports. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin announced that police officers from precincts in Taipei and New Taipei City are to be permanently deployed at each of the Taipei MRT commuter rail system's 109 stations.
General manager Tan Gwa-guang of the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation stated that the company would pay the medical expenses of the victims and set aside NT$4 million to compensate their families.
Taipei City Government
The Taipei City Government is the municipal government of Taipei.
History
Taipei was known as Taihoku during Japan's rule of Taiwan, which started in 1895. Initially, the city was directly controlled by the Governor-General of Taiwan. In ...
also raised funds to use as compensation.
Tunghai University
Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...
, where Cheng was a student, expressed sorrow at his actions and stated that "No matter what, Cheng will always be our family," urging students to show care for one another. They also promised to set up an expert committee to investigate the environment at the college.
Kuomintang legislator said the passengers had put themselves in danger by focusing on their
smartphones
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as mult ...
, while another KMT legislator,
Lin Te-fu
Lin Te-fu (; born 23 October 1953) is a Taiwanese politician. He is a member of the Legislative Yuan for the Chinese Nationalist Party since 2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the ...
, said the passengers should have quickly pressed the emergency alert button in the train and that the passengers lacked common sense. These remarks sparked a public outcry against the legislators.
The incident has sparked a debate online about whether the death penalty is appropriate punishment for such attacks. A Facebook group named "Indefinitely supporting death penalty for Cheng Chieh" had over 32,000 "likes" as of 22 May 2014. , executive director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, said that the most important thing at present is for the public to think about how to help the victims of the metro slashing spree and ease the survivors and their relatives out of the suffering brought about by the tragedy.
On 27 May, Cheng Chieh's parents publicly apologized at Jiangzicui Station and called for a quick death sentence for their son. Cheng's parents told the media that he liked to play violent fighting games, and when he was interrogated by the police, Cheng said that the games he liked to play were ''
League of Legends
''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...
'' and ''
Tower of Saviors'', both of which are "fighting type" video games; the Taiwanese operational team for ''League of Legends'' issued a statement saying that its game had nothing to do with Cheng's motive for the murder, and the company behind ''Tower of Saviors'' also stated that the product is a
match-three game, which had nothing to do with the crime.
Trial
Cheng was indicted by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office on 21 July, and charged with four counts of murder and 22 counts of attempted murder. The prosecution was led by Chen Po-chun. The
Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, the company that runs the Taipei Metro, claimed that ridership was down by 945,000 within ten days of Cheng's actions,
causing them to lose NT$20.61 million, an amount for which they sued Cheng.
Cheng was found guilty of four counts of murder and 22 counts of attempted murder on 6 March 2015 in the Taiwan New Taipei District Court. For each count of murder, he was sentenced to death and deprivation of citizen's rights for life; for each count of attempted murder, he was sentenced to a jail term of between five years, two months and eight years. His knife was also confiscated. On 7 August, the New Taipei District Court ordered Cheng to pay approximately NT$30 million to ten victims of the attack. His death sentence was appealed to the Taiwan High Court, which upheld the ruling. In a separate ruling on 7 January 2016, the High Court determined that Cheng owed another NT$61.39 million to victims and their families. In February 2016, Cheng was granted permission to attend the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
proceedings for his final appeal of the death sentence. Cheng became the first defendant subject to a death penalty to appear in front of the Supreme Court when his appeal was heard in April 2016. The court's final decision, to uphold all previous rulings, was issued on 22 April. Cheng's criminal penalties included a total of 144 years imprisonment and four death sentences.
Execution
Justice Minister
Luo Ying-shay signed the
execution order for Cheng at 17:00 on 10 May 2016. Cheng was executed at 20:47 on the same day. After eating his last meal, a
biandang
A is a Japanese-style single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch, typically including rice and packaged in a box with a lid (often a segmented box with different parts of the meal placed in different sections). Outside Japan, ...
with stewed pork, rice and vegetables, Cheng was given general anesthesia. Soon after its administration, he was laid in a prone position and shot in the heart three times. The 18-day gap between Cheng's final guilty verdict and execution was the shortest in Taiwanese judicial history.
See also
*
Shimonoseki Station massacre
*
List of rampage killers in Asia
*
Murder of Nia Wilson
*
2024 Taichung Metro attack
On 21 May 2024, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree directed at passengers on a Taichung Metro train, near Taichung City Hall station. Three people, including the attacker, were injured. The attack occurred exactly ten years after the 20 ...
, occurred exactly 10 years later.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taipei Metro attack
2010s in Taipei
2010s murders in Taiwan
2014 crimes in Taiwan
2014 in Taiwan
2014 murders in Asia
Attacks on railway stations in Asia
Deaths by stabbing in Taiwan
Knife attacks in Taiwan
Mass murder in 2014
Mass murder in Taiwan
Mass stabbings in Taiwan
May 2014 crimes in Asia
Murder in Taiwan
Stabbing attacks in 2014
Taipei Metro