Man stabs Taiwan convenience store clerk to death over reminder to wear face mask

After being denied entry into a convenience store for being unmasked, a Taiwanese man lost his cool, fatally stabbing the store clerk who asked him to put on a face mask. 

The stabbing took place outside a convenience store in Taoyuan early Nov 21 morning, FocusTaiwan reported. 

Police said that the suspect, a 41-year-old man surnamed Chiang, tried to enter the convenience store at 4am, but was stopped and asked to put on a mask by the store clerk Tsai. 

Shortly after, Chiang put on a mask and returned to the store. After browsing some shelves, he got into an argument with the clerk, throwing his mask in the latter's face before storming out of the store. 

At around 5.25am, Chiang entered the store a third time and demanded the store clerk to come out from behind the counter. He then stabbed the 30-year-old multiple times in the chest with a knife. 

Tsai managed to wrestle the weapon from his assailant but he later collapsed outside the store. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs1oBM7JN4[/embed]

Paramedics found three knife wounds on the left side of his chest. His heart stopped beating en route to the hospital and despite attempts to resuscitate him, Tsai was pronounced dead. 

Police arrested Chiang and took him in for questioning. He also received medical treatment for the knife wounds on his hands. 

The case has been classified as a suspected homicide.

On the next day, Taiwan's National Police Agency announced that they would increase patrols around convenience stores following a string of similar attacks over the Covid-19 regulation.

In September, a man in his 50s was arrested in Pingtung county for gouging out a store assistant's eyes after he was told to wear a mask.

The victim suffered a detached retina and a badly broken nose and had to undergo multiple operations. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com