Suspected Hong Kong triad members snared in predawn operation after alleged robber’s getaway vehicle smashes into unmarked police truck
- The force’s hit team deploy in three unmarked vehicles to prevent escape by robbery suspect in early hours of Friday morning
- Two accomplices chased down by officers, accused of targeting gambler leaving underground casino
A dramatic, predawn law enforcement operation in Hong Kong on Friday ended after an alleged robber rammed his getaway car into a truck carrying officers from a specialised hit team, trapping himself between police vehicles.
Police also arrested two other suspected accomplices, with the trio thought to have targeted a gambler leaving an underground casino.
The team, consisting of criminal intelligence officers specialising in daring arrests and raids, was deployed in three unmarked police vehicles – a truck, a delivery van and a private car. One suspect tried to flee in a black Toyota near the junction of Tung Choi Street and Bute Street in Mong Kok at about 3.30am.
“After running for a short distance, the [Toyota] rammed into the truck which drove out to block its path at the junction. As it tried to reverse, two other police vehicles drove in and sandwiched it,” a police source said, who added the three men were suspected Wo Shing Wo triad members.
According to the source, officers were forced to smash the car’s windows to arrest the suspect after he refused to leave the vehicle.
Moments before the chase, the other two alleged robbers threatened a gambler at knifepoint before fleeing on foot as police moved in. During the pursuit, one of the men was said to have thrown the weapon on the floor.
After a brief chase, police intercepted the two men, successfully subduing and arresting them after a short struggle.
The male victim suffered no injuries and nothing was taken during the incident, police said.
The investigation suggested the culprits stopped the victim soon after he left an underground casino where he had been playing baccarat, the source said.
He added that the trio might have been tipped-off by the gambling den’s operators before carrying out the hold-up.
Officers were still trying to locate the underground casino and determine whether the three suspects were linked to other robberies.
As of Friday afternoon, the three men, aged from 25 to 32, were still being held for questioning and had not been charged.
Between January and October of 2021, police handled 105 robberies, down 56 per cent from 242 during the same period in 2020.
