Hong Kong police ‘unaware’ of student’s car park fall while handling anti-government protest in Tseung Kwan O, sergeant says

Hong Kong police were unaware of a student falling from height inside a car park when they were dispersing protesters at a nearby demonstration last year, an officer involved in the clearance operation told an inquest on Friday.

Station Sergeant Lam Wah-ping said the police command post in East Kowloon District had not received any information about the incident on November 4, 2019, involving 22-year-old Alex Chow Tsz-lok, who suffered serious head injuries from a fall and later died in hospital.

Lam said he and about 30 colleagues that night went to offer emergency support to two other teams of officers during an anti-government demonstration in Tseung Kwan O.

The sergeant said his officers would not have entered the car park during the clearance operation, but acknowledged he did not pay close attention to the actions of his junior colleagues when he was involved in dispersing protesters on the ground using beanbag rounds.

Lam’s team, which was part of the East Kowloon Emergency Unit, was asked to provide reinforcement to 72 officers who were confronting protesters at the junction of Tong Ming Street and Tong Chun Street shortly before 1am, the Coroner’s Court heard.

The team made a detour and entered Kwong Ming Court via a path connecting to Po Hong Road, in an apparent attempt to surround protesters at the residential estate.

Lam said officers passed by the ground entrance of Sheung Tak Estate car park before reaching a T-intersection, around 80 metres north of the junction, at 12.58am.

Earlier, the court heard an unconscious Chow was found lying close to the edge of the second floor of the car park, directly above the building’s entrance.