Teenage muggers foiled after passers-by help woman fight back
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 19 April, 2014, 3:05am
UPDATED : Saturday, 19 April, 2014, 3:05am
Clifford Lo [email protected]
The victim and the passers-by were treated at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and later discharged.
Passers-by helped capture two teenage boys who assaulted a woman in a bungled mugging in Sha Tin yesterday after the victim fought back and shouted for help.
Two school pupils, aged 13 and 15, were arrested in connection with the assault on the 45-year-old woman in the early hours of yesterday. A third attacker, aged about 15, is being hunted by police after fleeing the scene.
The trio intercepted the woman in an underpass outside Sha Tin Tau village on Lion Rock Tunnel Road at about 12.15am, according to police.
"They punched and kicked the victim and then tried to snatch her handbag," a police spokeswoman said. "They escaped empty-handed as the woman put up a struggle."
The victim shouted for help, alerting two passers-by - a 51-year-old man and his 21-year-old son - who gave chase.
"The passers-by stopped and caught two of the robbers after a brief chase," the spokeswoman said.
She said the two boys, aged 13 and 15, were later handed over to police. Police said no weapon was used in the incident.
Officers mounted a search in the area for the third boy, described as being about 1.67 metres tall, but found no sign of him.
Sha Tin crime-squad officers are investigating.
The woman suffered injuries to her arms, head and abdomen while the two passers-by suffered slight injuries.
All were treated at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and later discharged.
Last night, the two suspects, who are secondary school students, were being held for questioning and had not been charged.
Police received 500 reports of robbery last year, an 18.8 per cent drop from 616 in 2012. There were 731 robbery cases in 2011 and 778 in 2010.
