“Preliminary investigation suggested the assailant attacked the [48-year-old] staff member at the vegetable stall with a glass bottle before running away,” a force spokesman said.

“The injured man and his colleague gave chase, and they intercepted and subdued the suspect with the help of a passer-by on Kai Tin Road.”

A photo posted online appeared to show a paramedic sitting on top of the man, pinning him to the pavement outside the shopping centre.

Police said officers found a box cutter on the suspect.

According to the force, the 48-year-old man sustained injuries to his head and an ear, while his colleague suffered a dislocated arm. The suspect sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.

All three men were taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong for treatment.

The spokesman said the reason for the attack was under investigation.

Police are treating the incident as wounding and possession of an offensive weapon. Detectives from the Kwun Tong criminal investigation unit are investigating.

The attack happened about 18 hours after passers-by and staff intervened when a man used a knife in an attack on a woman cashier at a fast-food outlet in a shopping centre in Sha Tin.

Police said three men, including the 43-year-old suspect and a male employee from the Fairwood fast-food restaurant, were also injured in the incident.

The cashier, who suffered cuts to her left arm and nose, and the three men were taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment.

Police said another woman working at the fast-food outlet was also treated in hospital for shock.

Police handled 558 reports of wounding across the city last year, down 1.2 per cent from 565 cases logged in 2022.