Police fired nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition during chaos that gripped Hong Kong, almost equalling amount used in June and July clashes
- Officers used more than 800 rounds of tear gas, 140 rubber bullets and 20 sponge-tipped rounds on Monday
- Protests have escalated into attempt to destroy city say police, echoing comments made by city’s leader Carrie Lam
Hong Kong police fired nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition during the chaos that gripped the city on Monday, almost equalling the total amount used over the past two months.
Revealing the figures on Tuesday, police said protests had escalated into an organised attempt to destroy the city, echoing comments made by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her Monday press conference.
Officers also arrested 148 people, 95 men and 53 women, during the protests on Monday for various crimes including unlawful assembly and assaulting police officers, with the youngest aged only 13.
After calling a citywide strike aimed at crippling traffic and business on Monday, protesters gathered on the streets and besieged police stations in at least 10 districts throughout the day.
They were seen setting fires, and throwing bricks, stones and petrol bombs at police stations. One police vehicle parked inside a complex was hit by a petrol bomb and set on fire.
Senior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung, of the police public relations bureau, said a total of 21 police stations had been vandalised by protesters.