At 2.30am on Friday, a group of at least eight knife-wielding assailants rushed out of two cars in a bungled ambush of three vehicles that stopped at a red light on Wyndham Street near the junction with Glenealy, the force said.

According to the insider, the force’s investigation suggested the knife attack was part of a long-standing dispute between the Sun Yee On and Wo Shing Wo triad gangs resulting from the uneven sharing of profits from illegal enterprises.

A video posted online shows several knifemen jumping out of a Lexus sedan and cornering a white seven-seater car which was among the three vehicles that had halted at a red light.

Senior Superintendent Ho Chun-tung of the organised crime and triad bureau said the initial investigation indicated that two shots were fired from either the seven-seater or the second car at the ambushers, who then retreated and fled the scene.

In the clip, a delivery van, which was part of the convoy ambushed by the knife-wielding gang, moves off, veering to the right and clipping one of the attackers before hitting the door of the Lexus and speeding away. A black-clad attacker is seen lying motionless behind the seven-seater.

The video then shows the knife-wielding gang stopping momentarily in their tracks before running away from the white vehicle. The Lexus is seen reversing, with one of the attackers frantically trying to get back into the vehicle, before the white car speeds away. The Lexus then stops near the downed attacker at a red light before the clip ends.

Heavily armed officers arrived soon after a passer-by contacted police, with emergency responders finding three injured men at the scene.

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Ho said one of the injured men was a 25-year-old who was shot in the abdomen and underwent surgery at Queen Mary Hospital in the afternoon. The man is currently in serious condition.

Another man, 30, who had suffered head injuries was in critical condition after surgery.

The third man, 36, sustained a leg injury during the bungled ambush and was in a stable condition, Ho said, adding police arrested him after he received hospital treatment.

The force also arrested another three men, aged between 23 and 42, and seized nine machetes at the scene of the incident.

The four suspects were detained on suspicion of attempting to wound and possessing offensive weapons, while the other two remained in hospital. As of Friday afternoon, the group was still being held for questioning.

The senior superintendent said officers had discovered a fired bullet and a spent cartridge after combing the scene for evidence.

“An initial examination indicated it was a 9mm-calibre bullet head which was probably discharged from a semi-automatic handgun,” Ho said.

“We will do our utmost to locate the firearm and also all these people who were involved in the case.”

Ho described the clash as an isolated incident, saying he did not believe the public should take it as a sign that Hong Kong had a gun problem. He noted the city had strict laws controlling the possession and smuggling of any firearms.

He added the force was “very concerned” by the case because it involved the use of a firearm to injure someone in a crowded area such as Central.

Last month, officers discovered a Skorpion vz 61 Czechoslovak machine pistol, equipped with a silencer, an extendable gunstock and a magazine as part of a HK$3.6 million (US$458,892) drug bust at a subdivided flat in Cheung Sha Wan. The force also found 50 rounds of ammunition during the raid.

During the force’s investigation on Friday, a white seven-seater vehicle suspected to be linked to the incident was found abandoned sometime before 6am and engulfed in flames on Kam Po Road in Yuen Long.

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The section of Wyndham Street involved in the incident was closed for traffic as police combed the area to find spent cartridges and gather evidence. A tracking dog was also called in.

Officers also checked if bullets had hit any of the vehicles parked there, and whether dash cameras captured the attack.

The Transport Department said due to an emergency incident, all lanes on Wyndham Street between Arbuthnot Road and Glenealy were closed to traffic as of 8am.

In September 2020, a suspected leader of the Wo Shing Wo triad group was shot in the chest by an assailant riding a motorcycle when he stopped at a red light at the junction of Austin Road and Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The wounded man was successfully treated after he managed to drive about 1km to Queen Elizabeth Hospital to seek medical treatment.