The mother of an American college student arrested in central China following an altercation with a taxi driver five weeks earlier said police are demanding the equivalent of a $7,400 “ransom” for his release.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The mother of an American college student arrested in central China following an altercation with a taxi driver five weeks earlier said police are demanding the equivalent of a $7,400 “ransom” for his release.
Jennifer McLean has not been allowed to see or communicate with her 25-year-old son, Guthrie, since his Sunday arrest on charges of intentional injury, she said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press.
During a June 10 fare dispute, Guthrie McLean pushed the taxi driver to the ground because the driver was roughing up his mother, who is hearing impaired, according to family friend Tom Mitchell, the Beijing bureau chief for The Financial Times.
It’s unclear why McLean was not arrested until weeks later. The Zhengzhou municipal public security bureau, when contacted by The Associated Press, said it does not take inquiries about individual cases.
Jennifer McLean told The AP her son’s actions were justified because the taxi driver was hurting her.
