《TAIPEI TIMES》 Son of entertainers indicted over public use of flamethrower

Sun An-tso speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday after being released on bail. Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times

/ Staff writer, with CNA Sun An-tso （孫安佐）, the son of Taiwanese television personalities Sun Peng （孫鵬） and Di Ying （狄鶯）, was yesterday indicted on charges of illegally possessing firearms and intimidating the public after prosecutors said he used a homemade flamethrower in public.

Sun An-tso, who has legally changed his name to Sun Chien-hao （孫健豪）, was indicted by the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office on charges of illegally possessing firearms, including an unregistered shotgun, under the Firearms, Ammunition and Knives Control Act （槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例）, as well as endangering public safety and intimidating the public under the Criminal Code.

The Shilin District Court yesterday released Sun An-tso, who had been held incommunicado since May 17, on NT$1 million （US$31,402） bail.

Sun An-tso allegedly used a homemade flamethrower seven times between Jan. 15 and May 1, including twice in public in Taipei and New Taipei City on April 22 with a friend surnamed Chen （陳）.

During the incidents, he allegedly opened the gas valve to maximum output to gauge its power on public roads, on hiking paths and in parking lots, prosecutors said.

The tests produced long, high-temperature flames and thick black smoke, and the flamethrower leaked fuel, posing a danger to the public, they said.

The investigation found that a company headed by a man surnamed Chiu （邱） signed a cooperation agreement with Sun An-tso on March 28 to produce short videos, under which Sun An-tso would receive NT$5,000 per video and participate in promotional activities.

A videographer surnamed Chiang （江） handled some of the planning, filming and postproduction, prosecutors said.

Sun An-tso proposed filming a video of a flamethrower test on an industrial road in Taipei’s Beitou District （北投） on April 22, prosecutors said.

He also operated the device while Chen helped ignite it and Chiang filmed and edited the footage, which was uploaded to Sun An-tso’s social media account on May 14.

Sun An-tso allegedly received NT$25,000 in total for the videos, prosecutors said.

The investigation also found that in 2018 and 2019, Sun An-tso purchased an unregistered shotgun, an air gun capable of causing injury and a banned replica of a Glock pistol from online sellers for between NT$10,000 and NT$20,000 each.

Chen was indicted on charges of endangering public safety and intimidating the public, while Chiu and Chiang were granted deferred prosecution for one year on related charges. They were each ordered to pay NT$20,000 to the public treasury and complete eight hours of legal education courses.

Sun An-tso, 26, drew international attention in 2018 after he was arrested in the US over threats to carry out a school shooting in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County.

He later pleaded guilty to terroristic threats and to a federal ammunition charge before being deported.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES