Woman rams truck into betel nut stand in Taoyuan after straw dispute
A late-night argument over a drinking straw ended with a woman driving a small truck into a betel nut stand in Taoyuan, leaving the shop wrecked and a worker beaten.
- A 48-year-old customer asked for a straw, the shop had none, and she attacked the storefront and hit an employee.
- She then drove her truck into the stand repeatedly, smashing equipment and causing at least NT$500,000 in damage.
- She tried to speed away when police arrived but was stopped about 100 metres down the road.
- Police say she was mentally unstable; she was sent to hospital and then handed to prosecutors on intimidation and public danger charges.
- The shop owner and staff are not pressing damage charges, but the criminal case is going ahead anyway.
Outlook: Prosecutors will decide on charges while the woman undergoes compulsory medical evaluation.