Robber runs into police while fleeing bank
A bank robber went from the frying pan into the fire when he ran into police officers while fleeing a pursuer from a bank he had just robbed in Tsuen Wan yesterday.
The robbery happened at 3.43pm when the man approached a counter in the Sha Tsui Road branch of Wing Hang Bank.
'The suspect told the teller that he was holding a bomb and demanded money,' a police officer said.
He was given about HK$7,000 before running out of the bank. A male bank worker gave chase.
'After running into an alley near Sze Pei Square about 300 metres away from the bank, the robber ran into uniform officers who had been despatched to the scene. The suspect was then arrested,' the officer said.
A black bag apparently belonging to the suspect was discovered in an alley. A suspicious, cylindrical object with a 10cm diameter was found inside, and bomb disposal officers were called in to examine it. They cordoned off the alley, and soon after 5pm a robot detonated a controlled explosion to destroy the object.
'The suspicious object was confirmed to be a roll of papers and no explosive was found,' the police spokesman said.
'Besides the object, cash was also found inside the bag.'
Last night, a man surnamed Lee, 30, was being held at Tsuen Wan police station. No charges had been laid.
Illicit withdrawals
There were nine bank robberies in the city in the first 10 months of this year. The total of all robberies was: 905
