Two arrested in Hong Kong over incident in which police sergeant opened fire on car being driven at him on highway
Police stage reconstruction of incident at Lam Kam Road Interchange after arresting man, 36, and woman, 42
A Hong Kong man and woman have been arrested in connection with an incident in which a police sergeant opened fire on a car being driven at him in the New Territories last month.
The man, surnamed Wan, 36, was detained in Sheung Shui on Friday for several offences, including attempted wounding, furious driving, drug possession and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, police said.
A woman, surnamed Ng, 42, was arrested in Ta Kwu Ling last Saturday for attempted wounding. She was released on bail pending further inquiries and must report back to police in early October.
Neither has been charged.
On Saturday, investigators brought Wan to Lam Kam Road Interchange at the junction of Fanling Highway and Lam Kam Road in Tai Po for a reconstruction of the incident on August 30 which had also involved a high-speed chase.
The chase occurred after police received information about a stolen van.
A 23-year-old employee of a flour company called police and reported seeing a stolen company van being driven on Jockey Club Road in Sheung Shui. The van had been previously reported missing.
Policeman opens fire on BMW being driven at him on Hong Kong highway
The employee gave chase in his own delivery van. After a 5km high-speed pursuit to the interchange in Tai Po, police intercepted the stolen vehicle after it and the delivery van collided.
The driver of the stolen van ran out and fled on foot before jumping into a car.
When officers attempted to stop the car, the sergeant fired one shot at it as it headed towards him.
The car then fled towards Tai Po and officers later found it abandoned near the town’s Kwong Fuk Estate.
Inside the van they found trace amounts of what was suspected to be the drug “Ice”.
Superintendent Kitty Chan Yi-ping of the New Territories North Regional Crime headquarters had defended the sergeant’s decision to open fire on the vehicle as “legal” given the circumstances.
But she stressed police would investigate the incident thoroughly, which was the protocol for all cases involving officers discharging their firearms.
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“Given the threat to his life, the sergeant had no choice but to fire one shot at the target,” Chan said. “Police have very stringent standards on the use of force and in this incident, the sergeant had complied with all these standards.”
Officers also suspected Wan was connected with the burglary of a company in Lok Ma Chau on August 23 in which about HK$9,000 (US$1,150) worth of property was stolen.
