Insensitive Airsoft Enthusiast Scares Taiwan MRT Passengers

From Apple Daily Taiwan:

Man in Full Military Fatigues Arrested, Man: It’s Just for War Gaming [Airsoft]!

What a fright! This afternoon at around 4 o’clock or so, a crowd of passengers riding the Bannan Blue Line discovered a man on the train wearing camouflage fatigues, a steel helmet and a gas mask, with a rifle in hand, with three grenades and a hand gun attached to his waist. Frightened passengers called the police one after the other. Unexpectedly, when the train car reached Taipei Main Station, the male dressed in fatigues suddenly disembarked from the train. When police at Taipei Main Station saw the man dressed in camouflage fatigues, they immediately stopped him and defused the crisis.

According to police investigation, the man who was arrested is 32 years old and surnamed Lan. At 4:50pm, Lan boarded the Bannan Line MRT wearing light camouflage army fatigues, carrying an imitation M4 assault rifle air gun, along with 3 simulated hand grenades and an imitation hand gun air gun slung around his waist, intending to participate in a War Game/Airsoft event near Jiantan Station. It was because he had to transfer to the Tamsui Line at Taipei Main Station that he suddenly got off the subway only to be stopped by patrolling police officers and taken to the local police station for investigation and interrogation. (Yang Zhong-han/Taipei City Report)

Comments from Apple Daily Taiwan:

Liao Lucas

Wearing those kinds of clothes at a time like this, it’s obvious that he did it on purpose. He could’ve changed into his gear once he arrived. Even the police don’t carry hand grenades. Talk about scaring people to death. So if I want to go swimming, should I wear a swimsuit onto the MRT? If I want to go home and have sex [the original text is 想要回家做人 “return home to make babies”], should I just be wearing a condom on the MRT…?

Nash Chou (responding to above)

If you want to go home to make babies, you don’t need to wear a condom.

陳建樺 (responding to above)

By jove, Nash Chou, you’ve cracked the case. [in the original text, 突破盲點 is reference to a long running joke on Taiwan’s BBS board called PTT, and originally references Sherlock Holmes remarking to Dr. Watson about making a critical breakthrough in the case.]

Danny Chou

A toy with frightening firepower

彥清廖 (responding to above)

No killing power, but frightening firepower.

Tang Shi-Xian

I also play Airsoft, but I always put all my gear into my equipment bag, and only change my clothes once I’m at the site. At most, I’ll head out with my camouflage pants and boots on. Also, I try to drive myself as much as possible to avoid affecting [scaring] others. So I really don’t understand what this guy was thinking insisting on wearing his gear out in public.

許米娜 (responding to above)

I know right? He was probably taking advantage of the recent event playing a joke [making others nervous].

楊大宣

The people sitting beside that guy were quite calm!

孫美

In all the years the Taipei MRT has been around, millions of people have abided by the rules of not chewing gum, not drinking, and lining up in an orderly fashion, revealing a new era of civic consciousness. The MRT stabbing incident seriously wounded the hearts of the people of Taipei. How many people are working to help each other, trying to heal the wounds, with students in “Afraid of riding the MRT? I’ll ride with you” movements touching people’s hearts. Yet it is this gentleman, whether on purpose or just oblivious, who ends up national television, planking [lying flat on the ground being arrested] in front of everyone’s eyes. Does that seem fair?

Hou-ju Chu

He deserves to be pressed to the ground like that! I’ve seen a lot of people play Airsoft before, and only an idiot would wear their equipment onto the MRT. He is clearly doing this to create a disturbance, and waste police resources. He should be flattened first and then questions can be asked later.

Comments from Facebook:

LU Egg

I also play Airsoft = =
people who play all know the basic rules… If you wear your equipment out in public,
you’ll scare people to death… You should appropriately keep your gun in your bag.
This guy did this on purpose just so he could get famous.

盧逸誠

The Airsoft community wishes to say: He’s already been blacklisted.

EMay Lee

He’s actually just afraid of running into a second Cheng Chieh, and that’s why he’s fully armed [equipped, dressed].

Chi Chuan Chen

Moron

陳佳聖

The entire Airsoft community is on the wanted list…Creating such a big fear to the public is really regrettable…Orz

陳為民

Idiot, retard, dope!