Primary School Students Stop Man From Extorting Female Driver Out of Money

Primary school students. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

A group of students defended a female taxi driver from being extorted out of money, acting as her eyewitnesses, according to Chinese state-sponsored media The Beijing News.

The driver, named Wang Linying, was nearly extorted out of 1,000 yuan ($145) on June 14. A moped driver and his passenger claimed that she ran into them with her car in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China, according to The Beijing News.

However, a group of primary school students standing at a bus stop saw the incident and intervened, saying that she should not give them money. Wang then recorded their testimony with her phone, causing the two people to leave the scene without any of her money.

Wang gave a thank-you banner to the children, and did not report the incident to the police, according to The Beijing News.

Student Witnesses

A group of students, standing on the side of the road, jumped at the chance to confirm that the woman was being extorted.

Wang was waiting at a red light when two people on a moped fell over next to the passenger side door of her car, according to The Beijing News.

Wang began recording the video after the incident took place.

“These kids will be my witnesses,” Wang says in the video. She then asks the kids if the moped rider ran into her.

Multiple children reply in unison, “yes,” as others join in after, affirming her stance. One young boy raises his hand up, and then points it at a man. “It was him, he hit your car on purpose.”

“When I saw the two people fall down, my car wasn’t moving at all. I quickly got out of the car, and then I helped get the moped upright, and made sure the two could stand up,” Wang told The Beijing News.

“They said they wanted money. They wanted 1,000 yuan ($145).”

Wang said that, for the sake of quickly resolving the conflict, she was about to give the two people 400 yuan ($60).

Then the students intervened, saying that the money was “breaking porcelain,” a phrase used for extortion in China through feigning injury.

“Then when I was getting the money out, there was a group of students who were eyewitnesses to the event,” Wang told The Beijing News. “They said: ‘Ma’am, you can’t give him money. He came from behind and ran straight into your car. Your car didn’t move, don’t give him money. There are traffic cameras up there, you can check the traffic cameras.'”

Afterward, the students wrote a note for Wang, confirming what they saw, and signed it.

After the children’s support, the two left the scene. Wang did not report the incident to the police, according to The Beijing News.

The next day, Wang delivered a banner to the classroom, noting the student’s kindness and honesty.