Shenyang Taxi Driver Assaulted by Japanese Passenger

Annie

<p>A Chinese taxi driver was assaulted after having a row with a Japanese passenger in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, local police confirmed on Wednesday. <br/><br/>The incident took place at about 9:30 p.m. on Monday near the Liaoning Grand Theater in Shenhe District in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, a Shenyang public security bureau spokesman said. </p><p>The taxi driver surnamed Gu became angry when he saw the 58-year-old Japanese passenger stick his chewing gum to the seat, the spokesman said. </p><p>An argument started and they began pushing each other. The Japanese passenger, whose Japanese name was not available, was accompanied by his newly-wed wife, a Shenyang woman surnamed Dong in her 20s. </p><p>Two friends of the Japanese man and his wife, 25-year-old Shenyang men surnamed Zhao and Zhang who were in another taxi following Gu's, saw the commotion from behind. When the taxis stopped at a red light, they got out and pulled Gu from his taxi and started to beat him. The Japanese man quickly left the scene when he saw this, the spokesman said. </p><p>Local witnesses called the police when the beating was going on. Police rushed to the site and took Zhao and Dong away for questioning. Gu was sent to hospital with "slight eye injuries". </p><p>The Japanese man and his Chinese wife and their five Chinese friends were taking two taxis to a restaurant when the incident happened. They had been drinking white wine and beer before the incident, the spokesman said. </p><p>The Japanese man and all the other connected with the case were questioned at the public security bureau on Tuesday. The case is being investigated, he said.</p>

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