Taipei homeless woman smashes garbage trucks, injures worker over cleared belongings

A homeless woman in Taipei unleashed her fury on sanitation workers, smashing two garbage trucks and injuring a team leader after her belongings were mistakenly cleared as trash. The incident occurred as sanitation crews were cleaning streets in preparation for Typhoon Bawu.

The 39-year-old woman, identified as Ms. Yin, discovered her possessions – including bedding, clothing, and crucially, her bank passbook – had been removed from their hiding spot on a pedestrian overpass near Taipei Main Station. She learned from other homeless individuals that sanitation workers had treated her entire worldly possessions as refuse.

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Her entire worldly possessions were treated as trash.

When she confronted the sanitation team, they explained that the cleanup was a typhoon-related measure and that the collected items had already been transported to a disposal center, making retrieval unlikely. This explanation only fueled Ms. Yin's rage, particularly concerning the loss of her passbook. She then grabbed a nearby stick and began smashing the windshields of two garbage trucks.

A team leader who came out to mediate was struck on the head by Ms. Yin, sustaining blunt force trauma. Other sanitation workers, witnessing the escalating violence and property destruction, called the police. Officers from the Datong Precinct arrived, subdued and arrested Ms. Yin. She was taken in for questioning and will be prosecuted on charges of assault, property damage, and obstruction of official duties.

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Her bank passbook was hidden in the quilt.