3 killed in Taiwan knife attack, with the suspect later falling to his death from a department store

Three Dead, Eleven Injured in Taipei Knife Attack as Suspect Jumps to Death

A violent knife attack in Taiwan’s capital left three people dead and eleven others injured on Friday evening, as a masked assailant indiscriminately targeted pedestrians at multiple locations before jumping to his death from a department store.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Chang Wen, began his rampage by throwing smoke grenades near an underground exit of the Taipei Main metro station, a busy transit hub in the city center. According to police reports, Chang randomly attacked people with a “sharp object,” creating chaos as pedestrians fled the scene.

After the initial assault, Chang traveled north to the popular Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store in a shopping district. Security footage aired on local television networks showed the suspect, wearing a gas mask and dressed entirely in black, deploying smoke grenades and attacking multiple people on both the first and fourth floors of the building, primarily targeting victims’ necks.

Police later revealed that between these two attack locations, Chang took an underground path to a hotel where he retrieved what officials described as some type of “lethal weapon” before appearing outside the Zhongshan metro station near the department store.

The violence claimed three lives, including a 57-year-old man who attempted to stop the attacker at the metro station exit but suffered a fatal wound. According to National Taiwan University Hospital, this victim sustained “a penetrating injury about five centimeters in length caused by a sharp object that reached from the right lung to the left atrium.”

Another man died after being attacked near the department store, according to reports from EBC News. The third fatality has not been publicly identified. Of the eleven people initially hospitalized, six remain under medical care, with two in intensive care units.

One female victim told local media that she was waiting for her daughter outside the department store when she was struck. “It did not feel like a slash — it felt more like being hit,” she recounted. “Then it really hurt.” Upon turning around, she witnessed “people lying on the ground and needing first aid because they were bleeding.”

The attack ended when Chang jumped from the sixth floor of the department store building. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the Central News Agency.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an addressed the incident in statements to local media, confirming details of the attacks while emergency services responded to the scenes. The Taipei Metro also reported that one of their employees was hospitalized after inhaling excessive smoke while responding to the incident.

In their investigation, authorities have searched both Chang’s rental home in Taipei and the hotel room where he had stayed for three nights near the Zhongshan area, recovering what they described as “lethal weapons” at both locations. Police have stated they have not found any accomplices and are still investigating potential motives.

Public records indicate Chang had failed to report for reserve military training in November 2024 and was wanted for violating Taiwan’s mandatory military service law. According to the district prosecutor’s office, Chang apparently hadn’t reported a change in household registration, which resulted in non-delivery of his military service summons.

The attack has shocked residents in Taipei, a city generally known for its low violent crime rates. Authorities have increased security at major transportation hubs and shopping areas as the investigation continues.