Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3017166/hong-kong-police-prepare-citywide-raids-hunt-down-and Law and Crime
First arrest as Hong Kong police prepare citywide raids to hunt down protesters who stormed and vandalised Legislative Council complex
- Forensics teams have spent two days collecting fingerprints and DNA to identify protesters
- Source says dozens of protesters are being tracked down with wave of arrests to come ‘in the near future’
Protesters smash windows of the Legislative Council complex on Monday. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong police have made the first arrest in their hunt for hundreds of protesters who stormed and vandalised the city’s legislature.
A 31-year-old man, surnamed Poon, was detained on Wednesday morning for forcible entry into the legislature and criminal damage inside the premises.
The suspect, known as “Occupy Mong Kok Painter” for his participation in the 2014 movement for greater democracy, was also arrested for assault on police and disorderly conduct in a public place on June 21, when protesters besieged the force’s headquarters in Wan Chai.
Police were also preparing to launch citywide raids to arrest the dozens of protesters so far identified, the Post learned on Wednesday. To locate the suspects, officers from the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) and Identification Bureau worked for two days with government forensic experts at the Legislative Council building, which was trashed on Monday.
“Thousands of pieces of evidence including helmets, face masks and iron bars have been collected from the Legco complex [on Tuesday and Wednesday],” one law enforcement source said.
“Our experts will collect fingerprints from the evidence and carry out DNA tests on the evidence such as face masks.”
Another source said dozens of suspects had been identified and a wave of arrests would come “in the near future”. He said police would seek legal advice from the Department of Justice before arresting and charging suspects.
“In addition to offences such as criminal damage and theft, riot offences will also be considered,” the source said.
He said OCTB officers would work with other criminal units to track down protesters who battered the Legco building and vandalised its interior, including the main chamber.
On Monday morning, about 10 protesters were detained after they charged police lines in Wan Chai before the annual flag-raising ceremony to commemorate the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty.
They were among 12 suspects – 11 men and a woman, aged 14 to 36 – arrested for offences including possession of offensive weapons, unlawful assembly, assaulting a police officer, obstructing a police officer, violation of the air navigation order, and failing to produce identity cards.
The suspects, who were protesting against the government’s handling of the now-suspended extradition bill, were released on bail pending for further investigation.
Police also arrested the driver of a van suspected to have been hired to deliver helmets, goggles, face masks and gloves to demonstrators.
The 35-year-old man’s vehicle was among several delivery vans parked outside Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park at about 3am on Tuesday when police responded to a 999 emergency call.
The man was arrested about three hours after riot police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters outside the city’s legislature and government headquarters in Admiralty.
A police source made clear the man was not arrested for the delivering the helmets and other gear to protesters. “The man was arrested because weapons such as box cutters were seized along with controlled drugs in his vehicle,” he said.
The man was granted bail and required to report to police this month. Detectives from Hong Kong Island regional intelligence unit were following up the case.
Hundreds of protesters smash their way into the Legislative Council complex on Monday. Police are now searching for those involved. Photo: Dickson Lee
The other drivers were allowed to leave after police recorded their personal information.
At about 4am on Monday, hundreds of young protesters dashed onto Lung Wo Road, Tim Mei Avenue and Harcourt Road in Admiralty, setting up road blocks. At the same time, protesters stole iron poles and bricks from nearby construction site.
The clashes near the flag-raising ceremony venue started when protesters attacked police lines, hurling objects including metal barriers and random objects at about 7.30am.
Police fought them off with batons and pepper spray, dispersing the mob and arresting aggressive protesters.
From 1pm on Monday, protesters used a metal cart to smash through the legislature building’s glass door. For about eight hours, demonstrators pummelled windows and doors while nearly 1,000 officers in riot gear stood guard inside.
Police retreated when protesters finally broke in at about 9pm, allowing the mob to tear down political leaders’ portraits, spray slogans on the walls and smash furniture.
At around midnight, about 3,000 officers in riot gear fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters gathered outside the government complex. The operation lasted for about an hour, during which no arrests were made.
Police leaders have promised to bring protesters who broke the law to justice.
Five men and a woman were also arrested for offences including possession of offensive weapons, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and fighting in a public place in incidents related to a pro-police rally in Central on June 30.
At least 91 people were arrested over the Mong Kok riot in 2016. The courts prosecuted 64 of those cases and three suspects absconded, including former localist leader Ray Wong Toi-yeung.
Meanwhile, police issued a statement on Wednesday night to defend the force’s inaction during the 11-hour storming of Legco, saying the safety of the people at the scene, including protesters, journalists and officers, was among the considerations they had taken into account.
“Police noticed on the internet beforehand that some individuals claimed to resort to radical acts, including initiating a ‘dust storm explosion’ and ‘threatening to fight until death’. On July 1, protesters not only used offensive weapons such as mills barriers and iron poles, but also poisonous and inflammable chemicals to attack police officers,” the statement said.
It said if the protesters tried to ignite the chemicals inside the Legco complex, the consequence would be unimaginable. And given the mass demonstration nearby, it said any police action might affect people’s emotions and worsen the situation.
“Based on the above considerations, police did not take immediate actions at the complex and had avoided as far as possible physical encounters with the protesters. As a result of these decisions, there were no serious casualties throughout the incident,” the statement said.