July 15, 2010

Millionaire Aids Capture of Robbers With Personal Helicopter

Translation: 遭抢包富豪动用私人直升机追贼, originally from Guangzhou Daily
Mr. Liu in Sichuan, May 2008

Mr. Liu's helicopter

Yesterday evening around 6 PM, Mr. Liu drove by Changping Town Tian Village (常平镇田美村) in his Porsche. His son and an plane pilot were the two other passengers on the car. When Mr. Liu witnessed two men on a motorcycle snatching a pedestrian's bag, he immediately revved up the engine and gave chase.

Realizing that someone was determined to be a "busybody," the robbers accelerated to attempt escape. Due to concerns for the safety of many pedestrians, Mr. Liu refrained from extreme motions. Three kilometers down the road, the two vehicles found themselves in an area with less people. The Porsche finally ran the motorcycle down.



The two robbers immediately split up, abandoning their motorcycle. Mr. Liu got off the car and went after the driver, while his son and the pilot tried to catch the bag snatcher. The second robber was caught near a hill.


Meanwhile, the just-arrived policemen and citizens joined Mr. Liu in the chase. When they were about to make a capture, the robber jumped into a big pond.

Later during the news interview, Mr. Liu said that he shouted at the robber and told him to come out of the pond. The robber would not. Mr. Liu then remembered his personal helicopter and requested police permission to use it.

"I piloted the helicopter close to the water surface. The strong winds could create waves which hopefully would force the robber to leave the water." Mr. Liu recalled. The robber stubbornly refused to come ashore even as he choked on the helicopter-induced waves and had to cover his mouth with clothes. Finally Mr. Liu found a 6--meter long pole. He flew over the pond once again and used the pole to herd the man to solid ground.

However, the robber somehow wrested the pole from Mr. Liu and attacked the helicopter with it. Mr. Liu was afraid of damage, so he finally gave up on the helicopter idea.

By this time, he had already spent more than 20 minutes in standoff against the robber.



Though the helicopter could not do the job, Mr. Liu still didn't give up. He brought out his private motorboat. By this time, a boat sent by the Changping Police Department had also arrived, along with more local law enforcement officers and firefighters.

After some discussion, the police decided on double envelopment. Experts maneuvered the boats to surround the robber. They called the man to surrender while seeking opportunities to capture him. The criminal turned to be a good swimmer and an elusive catch.

The police was afraid of accidents that could result from a forceful capture. So they bided their time. After an hour-long stalemate, the police special task force spotted a chance and caught the robber at 9PM.


Mr. Liu owns several hotels in Changping Town. He is also the first person in Dongguan to obtain the license to operate a delta-wing aircraft. Mr. Liu personally owns 2 helicopters, and the roof tops of his hotels have helipads.

Mr. Liu enthusiastically participate in activities to improve public welfare. In the aftermath of 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he served on the frontline of disaster relief as the Vice President of Changping Chamber of Commerce. He also mobilized fellows members of the Chamber of Commerce to donate to the quake-hit areas.

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