Makiyo was listed as a defendant in the case on suspicion of malicious destruction of property and aggravated assault, yesterday, five days after the incident occurred.
Makiyo's two local female entertainer friends Yaz, who rose to fame by emulating the daughter of former President Chen Shui-bian, and Vanessa, an assistant program host, were confirmed to also have been present at the incident.
The prosecutors concluded yesterday that the incident occurred while the trio and Takateru Tomoyori were drunk. Makiyo had gotten into an argument with the taxi driver surnamed Lin, who asked her to fasten her seat belt to comply with traffic safety regulations, the prosecutors said.
The group had decided to switch to a different taxi, and Makiyo, upon getting out of the taxi, kicked the vehicle's door. When Lin tried to call the police, Tomoyori assaulted him, beating him to the ground, kicking his head, and calling him names. The foursome then hailed another cab and fled the scene, according to prosecutors.
A witness testified to Tomoyori's statement that he was the only person involved in the assault. According to the witness, Makiyo and her friends had not participated in any physical violence; they just stood there and looked on.
Makiyo was released on bail while Yaz and Vanessa were released on their own recognizance after several hours of questioning.
When the trio left the prosecutors office at around 2 am Tuesday, they bowed several times to express their regret.
Tomoyori again apologized yesterday, admitting to having single-handedly committed all of the violence, and asking the public to not project the animosity toward him onto Japan as a nation in general.
Taipei City Counselor Lai Su-ju suggested that the Taipei City Department of Transportation should mass produce rear seat belt warning signs for taxi drivers to put up in their vehicles.
The regulations require taxi drivers to inform passengers of the new law, but did not specify how it needed to be done, Lai said. In addition to vocally reminding the passengers, posting reminder stickers serves the same purpose, she emphasized.
Lai criticized as "ridiculous" that Yaz and Vanessa remained silent for four days after the incident became public.
She also pointed out that Lin had actually already dialed 110 and was about to inform the police of the situation when his cell phone was intercepted and the beating proceeded.
Prosecutors are currently looking into whether Tomoyori had any intention of actually killing the taxi driver on Thursday evening.
Despite Lin's grave situation, the Lin family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of moral and financial support, Lai said yesterday.
Quite a few philanthropists and kind citizens had contacted her and expressed eagerness to donate to the injured driver and his family, she said, with CEO of the Yulon Group Kenneth Yen's personal donation of NT$500,000 on the top of the list.
(Source: Asiaone)
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