Hong Kong police draw gun, deploy pepper spray to subdue hammer-wielding man in station car park
- The force says the man attacked an officer outside Kwun Tong Police Station before he was subdued, and two were injured in the scrum
- Police source says an initial investigation indicated the man suffered from an unspecified mental illness, and lived in a nearby housing estate
A 45-year-old man accused of attacking police with a hammer was subdued after an officer drew his gun and another used pepper spray against the suspect at one of the force’s precincts in the early hours of Tuesday.
Two officers suffered minor injuries in the incident, which took place in the car park of Kwun Tong Police Station soon after 12.30am.
A video circulating online shows the man carrying a hammer in his right hand and climbing over a barrier at the entrance to the police station’s car park on Lei Yue Mun Road, but the clip does not capture the ensuing alleged attack.
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According to police, as officers approached the hammer-wielding man, he began chasing one of them and attacked him with the tool.
“After repeated warnings were ignored, one of the officers drew his service revolver and another policeman pulled out his baton to guard against the man before he was pepper-sprayed and eventually subdued,” a police source said.
A sergeant from the patrol subunit of Kwun Tong Police Station suffered injuries to his hand, while his colleague – a constable – sustained a fractured finger. The two injured officers were taken to United Christian Hospital for treatment.
Police arrested the man on suspicion of wounding and possession of an offensive weapon.
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An initial investigation showed the suspect, who worked as the driver of a delivery van, had suffered from an unspecified mental illness for about five years and required regular consultations at a public hospital, according to the source. The man lives in a nearby public housing estate.
As of midday, the suspect was still being held for questioning and had not been charged.
In 2020, police handled 1,049 reports of wounding across the city, a 1.8 per cent increase from 1,030 cases in the previous year.
