Police in Taiwan were heavily criticized for firing a warning shot while chasing an illegal Vietnamese migrant through a high school on December 11.
A 29-year-old illegal Vietnamese migrant was arrested in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after running away from officers during an identity check. Police gave chase and fired a warning shot in the air in a high school during the pursuit.
At about 11 am on December 11, officers saw the man riding his motorcycle fast but unsteadily in Gushan district of Kaohsiung City, the Taiwan Apple Daily reported.
The man was stopped by police near the Kaohsiung Arena MRT station, where his cousin also showed up. The pair had previously agreed to meet there.
While the woman was explaining to the officer that her cousin did not speak the local language, the man fled, running towards the Kaohsiung Municipal Sanmin Vocational High School of Home Economics & Commerce.
Officers gave chase and one of them fired a warning shot in the air on the playground, startling three classes of students who were having a physical education lesson.
Despite the warning shot, the man kept running until he was eventually caught by the officers. The officer later said he fired the shot because he feared the man would harm the students.
The suspect was then referred to the National Immigration Agency for having run away from his former employer two years earlier and allegedly violating the immigration law.