A knife dispute occurred this morning on the New Taipei Metro Sanying Line, in which a man drew a utility knife before being subdued. No one was injured, and he will be referred to prosecutors on a charge of intimidation.

• The incident took place on a train travelling from Yingge towards Dingpu. It began when a young girl accidentally kicked the backpack of a man surnamed Chen, prompting an argument between the two sides.
• Chen, apparently suspecting the other party might mean him harm, pulled a utility knife from his pocket, but before the blade could be pushed out he was pinned down by the girl's family members.
• Throughout the incident Chen did not swing the knife, and no one at the scene was injured. After the train pulled into the station, police took over the handling at the station building.
• After being notified, the metro's operations control centre immediately cleared the train, evacuated passengers and closed the platform, briefly downgrading operations before service returned to normal.
• Police investigation found that Chen was also wanted over an assault case from June, and he will be brought in on that as well, while this knife-related intimidation is being referred to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation.

Outlook: Chen will be referred to prosecutors on a charge of intimidation endangering safety and brought into custody, while the details of the clash between the two sides and the legal responsibilities involved remain to be further clarified by police.