The police receipt provided to Li Shuming. By reporter Wang Yi, reproduced.
At around 9 PM on January 9th, near the elevator entrance on the second floor of Wanrong Seafood Grand Restaurant in Changping District, an argument broke out between two parties. After verification, one party was identified as Li Shuming, a member of the eighth session of the Chicheng County Political Consultative Conference from Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, and others, while the other party consisted of Tao Xiuxia, director of the Legal Aid Center of the Changping District Justice Bureau, and others. After leaving the restaurant, both sides engaged in physical conflict.
On January 15th and yesterday, reporters contacted Li Shuming and Tao Xiuxia successively. Both claimed that the other side initiated the physical assault, while they themselves did not. Currently, the police have intervened in the investigation.
Argument at the Elevator Entrance
On January 15th, the reporter met with Li Shuming at a hotel in Changping District. Huo Diandong and Mr. Fan, who also experienced this conflict, were present.
The reporter observed that Li Shuming's left arm had scratch marks. Li Shuming showed the clothes he wore during the incident: a sweater with a torn sleeve and a leather jacket with multiple abrasions caused by contact with hard objects. He stated that during the conflict, his back of the head was struck, causing several bumps, but it has since healed. Ho Diandong's facial injuries were more obvious, with scars on his right eyebrow arch and mouth corner. Mr. Fan was uninjured.
Li Shuming said that he is a member of the eighth session of the Chicheng County Political Consultative Conference from Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, and also the Party Secretary of the Shuimowan Village Branch Committee. Additionally, he operates a company in the Changping District.
Li Shuming recalled that on January 9th, he came to Changping District for business matters. That evening, he dined with friends Huo Diandong, Mr. Fan, and two others at Wanrong Seafood Grand Restaurant. Around 9 PM, after finishing their meal, they took the elevator on the fourth floor, preparing to leave.
"The elevator stopped on the second floor where seven or eight people were standing, with a woman at the forefront," Li Shuming said. His companions, Mr. Fan and Mr. Liu, recognized this woman. They got off the elevator to greet her and intended to introduce themselves, but she declined the introduction. Mr. Fan confirmed this statement.
Li Shuming claimed that upon hearing this, he felt uncomfortable and interpreted it as the woman wanting them to exit the elevator first so her group could take it down. He found this unreasonable, leading to an argument, which was then defused by his friends. Both parties subsequently left the hotel.
Physical Conflict Outside the Hotel
Li Shuming claimed that as he and Huo Diandong prepared to drive away, they noticed someone from the other party pointing at them. They parked their car and approached the other party. "At that moment, the woman struck me first, followed by others surrounding me and beating me to the ground." Li Shuming stated that due to being outnumbered, he did not retaliate. Huo Diandong added that when he tried to help, he was also knocked down.
During the conflict, Mr. Fan was inside Li Shuming's car. He claimed that he knew both sides, so he went to mediate and shouted loudly: "Stop fighting! If you must fight, hit me instead." Regarding whether the woman and Li Shuming engaged in physical contact, Mr. Fan said he did not witness it.
Soon after the conflict, officers from the Changping police station arrived. At the time, the woman's group had already left. Li Shuming and his companions first sought medical treatment at the Changping District Hospital before heading to the police station to give statements. Huo Diandong's diagnosis report indicated a visible crack on his right eyebrow arch, lip injuries, facial soft tissue damage, etc., while Li Shuming's report mentioned a blow to the head without external injuries, visible scratches on his left upper arm, etc.
Upon investigation, the reporter learned that Li Shuming is indeed a member of the eighth session of the Chicheng County Political Consultative Conference from Hebei Province, while the other party is Tao Xiuxia, Director of the Legal Aid Center of the Changping District Justice Bureau and Secretary-General of the Changping District Bar Association.
Police Investigation
In the morning yesterday, Yang, the person in charge of external publicity at the Changping District Justice Bureau, confirmed Tao Xiuxia's identity to the reporter but stated that he was unaware of the conflict and would wait for the police investigation results.
In the afternoon yesterday, the reporter reached Tao Xiuxia herself. She stated that at the time, she saw two acquaintances inside the elevator and called them out to chat briefly, not intending for her group to take the elevator down first. "Li Shuming followed us out. He had been drinking and started cursing, saying 'What makes you so special?' My friends couldn't bear it and argued with him."
Tao Xiuxia further explained that outside the hotel, the other party was about to leave by car but suddenly turned back and cursed again, leading to another verbal altercation. "Li Shuming struck my friend twice on the face. Others rushed over to mediate, resulting in a scuffle. During the scuffle, a young man from the other side sustained some injuries on his mouth and face, but I did not have any physical contact with the other party. After being separated, we left." Tao Xiuxia emphasized that this matter was only a conflict between her friends and Li Shuming, unrelated to her.
According to informed sources, Li Shuming and Tao Xiuxia had an argument near the elevator entrance on the second floor of the hotel, which led to a physical conflict outside the hotel. Neither of them engaged in physical violence. Currently, the police are investigating the matter.
Written by reporters Wang Yi and Wang Penghua for this edition.