Inmate Flees After Argument During Independent Work 屏東看守所受刑人 自主監外作業時脫逃

An inmate at Pingtung Detention Center named Tu Chun-wei who is allowed to independently work outside got into an argument with a person at a collective farm where he was working on March 27. He injured the man, stole a vehicle, and escaped. A nationwide APB has been issued.

The victim has injuries to his face and hands. On March 27, a Pingtung Detention Center inmate named Tu Chun-wei left the center to go to a rice paddy where he is allowed to work independently. He got into an argument with another worker there and injured the worker before stealing his car keys and driving the car towards Kaohsiung. The worker was sent to a hospital.

Mr. Wu, Victim: “I didn't know him at all, I just asked him why he was wearing cloth shoes to work in the water. Then he suddenly turned his head, approached me, and grabbed my neck while I was facing the water.”

Wei Hao-yung, Head Prosecutor, Pingtung District Prosecutors Office: “We have an understanding of the escapee surnamed Tu's whereabouts. He is currently heading towards Kaohsiung, and we are making an all-out effort to hunt him down.”

A nationwide APB has been issued, and the theft of the vehicle and escape are being investigated as separate cases. The police went to Tu's home in Pingtung. Nearby residents said he is a habitual thief.

Mr. Hsiao, Resident: “He came in, didn't find anything, and then went next door to steal. He's stolen three or four times from next door, but the resident isn't willing to report it and is already used to it.”

Information from the police and courts show Tu was born in 1983 and has multiple thefts, negligently caused injuries, fraud, and hit and run incidents on his record. He was sentenced to six years and two months in 2019 for multiple offenses. He only had two years left on his original sentence and had already applied for parole. He was allowed to work independently outside the detention center after maintaining good behavior.

Chen Lung-chieh, Secretary, Pingtung Detention Center: “The purpose of outside independent work is to allow them to operate independently, so they're not supervised or specially guarded.”

The center said there are two other inmates working independently at the farm. They were not allowed to go to the farm on March 28 as the investigation was underway. The center said this incident won't affect future outside independent work.

被害人躺在醫院，臉部、手上多處傷勢，屏東看守所受刑人涂俊煒，27日下午到一處農場的水稻部進行自主監外作業時，跟檸檬部員工發生口角，竟將人打傷搶走車鑰匙，駕車往高雄脫逃，受傷員工隨後被送往醫院。

巫姓被害人表示：「我跟他根本不認識，我問他你怎麼會穿布鞋下來？這裡都是水。一下子他就轉頭過來，我轉過去在看水，他就勒住我的脖子。」

屏東地檢署主任檢察官魏豪勇指出：「已經有掌握涂姓脫逃人的行蹤，目前是往高雄的方向來逃逸，目前都在全力追緝當中。」

檢警發布通緝，並將針對涂俊煒的搶奪及脫逃罪行分案偵辦；警方也追回涂俊煒屏東老家，附近鄰居表示，他是偷竊慣犯。

鄰居蕭先生說：「進來以後發現沒有東西，他又跑到隔壁去偷，隔壁已經偷了3、4次了，隔壁偷了他也不願意告他，習以為常了啦。」

據警方及法院資料，72年次的涂俊煒，過去涉犯多起竊盜及過失傷害、詐欺、肇事逃逸，法院在108年裁定數罪併罰6年2個月有期徒刑，原本刑期只剩2年多，申請假釋中，且表現良好符合資格，才能到外面自主監外作業。

屏東看守所秘書陳龍杰表示：「自主監外作業的目的就是讓他們自主，所以也沒有在做戒護或者是特別看管的情形。」

看守所表示，除了涂俊煒，農場還有2位自主監外作業的受刑人，為釐清脫逃事件，28日先暫停出工，看守所也強調脫逃事件不會影響未來自主監外作業。