HONG KONG – Dramatic footage of an attack by a group of machete-wielding assailants in one of Hong Kong’s busiest nightlife districts emerged today, as local media reported a clash that left one man with a gunshot wound and two others injured.
Asked about the incident, reported to have taken place in the early hours of this morning, Hong Kong police confirmed three men were hospitalised and another three men were arrested.
A section of the road near the popular Lan Kwai Fong area was cordoned off by armed officers today, as they searched a Lexus with its side and front crumpled in for evidence.
A dashcam video, whose location, timestamp and events matched media descriptions of the clash, emerged today, though AFP was unable to trace the footage’s exact origin.
The video shows a line of vehicles stopping at a traffic junction, when four assailants holding machete-like knives spring out of a car that appears to be the Lexus left at the scene on Friday.
They begin to attack an adjacent white car that had stopped by the traffic light.
As the men begin the assault, a black van positioned behind the white car rams into the attackers’ car, hitting at least two of the assailants before speeding away from the scene.
Several other knife-wielding men run into frame, but after pressing on with the attack for a few seconds, most of the perpetrators abruptly turn around and flee the scene.
A police source told the South China Morning Post that one of the men targeted in the attack had pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
There were a total of eight knife-wielding men who arrived in two vehicles, and two shots were fired during the clash, the SCMP reported, citing police.
One man was shot in the back, another suffered knife wounds to his head, and both men were unconscious when hospitalised, local media reported.
Another man was hospitalised for leg injuries after being hit by a car, the reports said.
Local news outlet HK01 said the clash originated from a dispute between two groups at a nearby bar, and the attack happened at around 2am local time (1800 GMT).
Violent crime is very rare in Hong Kong, though organised crime gangs are known to operate in the city. – AFP, June 10, 2022
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