Ferrari driver among six arrested in Hong Kong police’s anti-racing operation after car runs into slope and flips
- Three other cars sped off when officers approached the scene, triggering chase before drivers were apprehended
- Driver of crashed car and female passenger sent to Prince of Wales Hospital with minor injuries
Six drivers, one of whom crashed his Ferrari, were arrested by Hong Kong police in an anti-illegal road racing operation on Sunday.
At about 7.30am, officers spotted six speeding sports cars before one of the vehicles ran into a slope near Chek Nai Ping in Tai Po and overturned.
The driver, 36, and his female passenger, 35, suffered minor injuries and managed to climb out of the damaged vehicle.
Officers approached the scene, but three of the five other vehicles who had pulled over nearby sped off, triggering a chase. They were eventually intercepted inside or near Chinese University.
Along with the damaged black Ferrari, three other Ferraris, a Lamborghini and a McLaren were also seized.
Six drivers aged 36 to 70 were arrested for dangerous driving, including the injured man from the overturned vehicle. He was sent to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment with the passenger.
The drivers, who claimed to be businessmen, passed breathalyser tests.
Kong Wai-ming, acting chief inspector from New Territories North traffic unit, said the morning operation was launched at about 3am and was based on intelligence collected earlier this month. Authorities had observed groups of super cars zipping along Tai Po Road in the area late at night multiple times during this period.
The operation was code named “Fossington” and involved 30 officers and police vehicles.
Kong said police could not determine if the six arrested were involved in illegal car racing activities or if they were linked to previous cases detected.
Hong Kong police seize four cars in street racing crackdown
“As one of the cars crashed quickly, our observations could not confirm whether they were racing illegally, but they were going very fast on a section of the road with a speed limit of 50km/h,” Kong said, adding that the cars were travelling at about 98km/h on average.
He said the Ferrari crashed before officers took any action against the group.
The drivers were later released on bail and must report back to police next month.
Tai Po district councillor Chan Siu-kuen said fewer speed cameras, less traffic and more bends made the area a favourite for racers, who usually took to the roads on Saturday and Sunday nights.
He said the drivers were often a nuisance and many in the neighbourhood were concerned about the safety risks they posed to pedestrians and cyclists.
