Elderly Hong Kong man armed with knives survives 18-floor leap from flat
Patient said to be suffering from dementia cheats death after two-hour stand-off with police
An elderly man, said to be suffering from dementia, cheated death yesterday when he leapt 18 floors from a high-rise apartment block and landed on an air cushion after a two-hour stand-off with police and firefighters.
The 60-year-old was in a stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin yesterday afternoon, after the incident at one of the buildings inside Elegance Garden on Nam Wan Road in Tai Po.
The stand-off began after the man became emotional inside his 18th-floor flat at about 6.45am.
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"He grabbed two choppers before climbing out of the flat through a kitchen window," a police spokesman said.
Police, firefighters and paramedics were sent to the scene after his 17-year-old daughter called police. His wife was also at home at the time of the incident.
When officers arrived, the man, armed with the two meat cleavers, was found standing in a dangerous position outside the flat, according to police.
The fire department said five fire engines and two ambulances were sent to the scene.