Man arrested over Hong Kong 7-Eleven stabbing which saw store owner critically injured in fight over snacks
Owner of shop is in critical condition after sustaining fruit knife wound to his chest
A man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly stabbing a convenience store owner at a 7-Eleven shop in Yau Ma Tei on Tuesday night.
Police said the man, who is a 32-year-old Vietnamese with a Canadian citizenship, was stopped in Yau Ma Tei and held for questioning. Officers found him lingering inside an eatery on Jordan Road at about 7.30pm on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old proprietor got into an argument with a suspect after realising the latter was eating some chips from the store and trying to leave without paying.
Security camera footage from the 7-Eleven on Pitt Street near Portland Street showed the pair having an argument in the counter area where the owner was trying to call the police. A suspect was seen waving a 20cm-long fruit knife.
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After about a minute, the exchange turned violent, with the owner punching a man, who then stabbed him before leaving the store.
The injured owner apparently tried to clean up the mess on the floor immediately after he was stabbed. A picture taken by a witness showed that he later fell unconscious in a pool of blood. A male passer-by removed his clothing in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
The unconscious victim was rushed to the nearby Kwong Wah Hospital and later transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition.
Investigators later found a knife, broken into two, near the shop.
Assistant Yau Tsim district commander (crime) Cheng Lai-ki said when officers found the man in the eatery, the clothes he was wearing and his backpack matched closely with the target.
“His right hand was also injured. We don’t rule out that someone had sustained a knife wound in the offence,” Cheng said.
He also tried to resist, Cheng said.
The man, who entered the city with a passport about two months ago, was detained last night.
Investigators are looking into his background.
