Hong Kong police have arrested two people in Kwun Tong after an officer was “slashed in the neck” by a black-clad protester on Sunday afternoon. The incident came amid widespread unrest across the city, as protests entered their 19th week.
Video footage from Ming Pao showed a team of officers about to enter Kwun Tong MTR station, as a man came up from behind and jabbed a sharp object – similar to a box cutter – towards the neck of one of the officers. The officer in question then chased down the assailant, and two people were arrested on the scene.
The incident took place at around 5:30pm when officers were looking into a case of criminal damage at the MTR station, police said. After the attack, the officer was sent to United Christian Hospital in a conscious state.
“The sharp-edged object is a deadly weapon. Police will strive to investigate all violent acts,” the force said in a statement. Eyewitnesses said that the right side of the officer’s uniform was stained with blood.
Earlier that day, police at Kwun Tong MTR station used pepper spray against protesters, onlookers and journalists. A student reporter from Hong Kong Polytechnic University had to be taken away on an ambulance while wearing an oxygen mask.
Before the officers arrived on the scene, protesters in Kwun Tong damaged some shops in the APM shopping mall and some tried to break into the closed MTR station.
Separately, a traffic cop drew his pistol outside New Town Plaza shopping mall in Sha Tin at around 5:30pm. Protesters were trying to build roadblocks on Tai Po Road when a police car drove up to the scene.
An officer emerged from his car and briefly drew his gun, leading the protesters to flee. No arrests were made.
Shops targeted
Police on Sunday fired tear gas in Sha Tin, Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan after protesters gathered en masse at major malls across Hong Kong.
In Sha Tin, protesters targeted Chinese-owned shops such as Huawei, as well as Best Mart 360. The snack and food chain’s chairman Lin Tsz-fung stands accused of having ties with the “Fujian gang” who have physically attacked protesters.
Maxim’s franchises – including Genki Sushi – were trashed owing to comments made by Annie Wu, the daughter of the caterer’s wealthy founder. Wu delivered a speech in September at the UN’s human rights council in Geneva, in which she condemned the protests.
Bank of China ATMs were also set on fire in Tsuen Wan.
In Tai Po, protesters trashed the office of New People’s Party lawmaker Eunice Yung.
They also defaced a nearby government office.
Meanwile, a video circulated widely online showed a protester in black performing a flying kick against a police officer near Mong Kok.
Two men then hit the officer while he was on the ground, with one of the assailants holding a rod.
Expainer: The businesses targeted by Hong Kong’s hit-and-run protesters
At least 10 MTR stations were closed as of Sunday evening, as the transit firm cited repair work owing to vandalism. Services on all lines halted at 10pm.
Citywide protests in Hong Kong have continued for over four months, sparked by opposition to a now-scrapped extradition bill that would have allowed fugitive transfers to mainland China.
Demands of the protesters have since broadened to include the investigation and reform of the police force, amnesty for arrested protesters, and electoral reform.
Undercover officer busted
Clashes on Sunday also saw the widespread deployment of undercover officers by the police. A man was beaten by a crowd of protesters at around 7:40pm in Tseung Kwan O, after he was suspected of being a police officer.
Protesters later found an extendable baton in his bag and threw it in the gutter. The man was taken away in an ambulance after riot police arrived on the scene.
According to TMHK, riot police were also spotted emerging from a white van with the insignia of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Officers then arrested multiple people in Tuen Mun near Shek Pai Light Rail stop.
The LCSD confirmed to Stand News that the van had been loaned to the police, and the request was made in August via the Government Logistics Department. The van was fully under the police’s authority, the LCSD added.
Meanwhile, an unmarked car belonging to the police was also vandalised by protesters on Dundas Street in Mong Kok.
— Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) October 13, 2019
Police said the vehicle was used by Identification Bureau for purposes not related to protests, and condemned the incident as criminal damage.
Dozens of riot police remain stationed at the junction between Argyle Street and Nathan Road at 6pm. Locals heckle them with shouts of “triads” and “rapists”.
Photo: HKFP. #hongkong #hongkongprotests #antiELAB pic.twitter.com/wOjzEAKLwD
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) October 13, 2019
Earlier in the day, police also condemned protesters who hurled objects into the rail track of Sha Tin MTR station, blocked traffic on Nathan Road, and threw petrol bombs at police vehicles in Sha Tin.
The unrest continued into the night with Molotov cocktails thrown towards Mong Kok police station.
About 20 Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Mong Kok Police Station at about 9 pm today. This footage from online media ATV shows how severe the situation is. 12 police vehicles fled soon after that scene. It is one of the most serious Molotov attacks in the #antiELAB movement. pic.twitter.com/Rqx7WgyCyb
— Ezra Cheung (@ezracheungtoto) October 13, 2019
Demonstrations will continue on Monday, with a police-approved rally in Chater Garden, Central set to take place in the evening. Protesters will urge the US to pass a new law pressuring Hong Kong to better protect human rights.
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