Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2156290/man-arrested-carrying-loaded-home-made
Hong Kong/ Law and Crime

Man arrested for carrying loaded home-made shotgun in Hong Kong

During police chase, man threw away a backpack with 45cm gun loaded with a single bullet. Six other bullets were found on the grass nearby

Police said the gun appeared home-made though it was unclear whether it could actually fire a bullet. Photo: Dickson Lee

A man was arrested for carrying a loaded, home-made shotgun on the streets of Hong Kong in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The 56-year-old man ran off after a police patrol spotted him near Tung Chau Street and Yen Chau Street in Sham Shui Po.

During the chase, he threw away a backpack in a park where police found a 45cm gun, loaded with a single bullet. Six other bullets, which fell out of his backpack, were found on the grass nearby.

Police arrested the man at 1.30am for possession of firearms.

Police search the area in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Dickson Lee
Police search the area in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Dickson Lee

“The gun seemed to be self-made, but whether it can actually fire a bullet requires further investigation,” said superintendent Wong Chi-wai of Kowloon West Regional Crime Headquarters. “I would use the word rough to describe [its construction].”

The handle was made out of wood and assembled with other gun components, he said.
An area of Sham Shui Po is cordoned off while police continue to search after a man was arrested with a home-made shotgun. Photo: Dickson Lee
An area of Sham Shui Po is cordoned off while police continue to search after a man was arrested with a home-made shotgun. Photo: Dickson Lee

A source said the man was a renovation worker while police revealed he had a criminal record that was not related to any violent crimes.

A woman, 43, was arrested in Mong Kok around 8.30pm on Saturday night as the police followed up on the case.

The woman, surnamed Hui, was suspected of possessing arms and ammunition without a licence.

Hong Kong has strict firearms control and a licence from the police commissioner is required to possess arms or ammunition. Customs officials conduct risk assessment and stringent examinations on parcels and passengers in and out of the city.

Possessing a firearm without a licence can result in up to 14 years in prison and a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,700).

Cases of smuggling by air detected by customs surged from 4,141 in 2013 to 7,786 in 2017. About 70 of the cases involved firearms, ammunition and weapons last year, compared with 68 in 2016, 76 in 2015 and 99 in 2014.

Last month, a 44-year-old woman, who worked as a bodyguard in mainland China, was arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly shot dead her elderly aunt and uncle and wounded two other relatives in Quarry Bay Park.