Furious protesters chase police to Mong Kok station in nightly stand-off
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 12 October, 2014, 10:24am
UPDATED : Sunday, 12 October, 2014, 10:24am
Peter So and Emily Tsang
A series of angry stand-offs between police and protesters in Mong Kok the early hours of Sunday marked the end of an otherwise largely peaceful second week of democracy protests in the bustling Kowloon district.
At least three protesters were arrested. A citizen journalist was hit by a baton to collapse temporarily and a reporter working for the Ming Pao newspaper said he sustained a scratch in his leg after being kicked by the police. Police have yet to comment on the night’s events.
Tensions rose around 2am on Sunday when plain-clothes police officers requested some protesters on Nathan Road to show their ID cards. The group had been reinforcing barricades at the occupied area south of Nelson Street.
The protesters in return requested the officers to show their proof of identification. Heated arguments between ensued. The stand-off ended with police escorting away one protester and retreating to Sai Yeung Choi Street, a sidestreet.
Protesters followed the police officers to Sai Yeung Choi Street, where another confrontation ended with at least two further arrests.
James Bang, a 28-year-old citizen journalist, was hit by a police baton on his knee and arm. One female protester said she had been hit on the chest by a police officer during the altercation.
James Bang lying on the ground in Mong Kok after being hit by police in the early hours of Mong Kok. Photo: Peter So
Bang and the woman were taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in two separate ambulances. Police have not yet commented on the incidents.
Protesters continued their furious chase of police officers until 3am when police confronted them at Argyle Street in yet another heated debate that lasted almost one hour. Police escorted more protesters away and held up the now familiar yellow banner warning, warning demonstrators not trespass the police cordon.
Protesters yelled insults at police as officers retreated further to Mong Kok police station, where the gate was closed soon after the protesters approached.
Outside the police station, a car accident then caught the protesters’ attention. The white-coloured Lexus had rammed into a taxi at Prince Edward Road West.
The driver attempted to flee the scene. The protesters surrounded the Lotus to prevent the driver from fleeing and pounded the car’s windows.
Police intervened and ultimately smashed the car’s side windows to arrest the driver.
A police officer at the scene later said the driver is suspected to be driving under the influence of narcotics. He has been sent to a hospital for blood tests.
The Lotus seen after the driver's arrest. Photo: Peter So
As peace returned to the protest site, some protesters said there were unfamiliar faces in the crowd that chased police to the Mong Kok station.
"They suddenly appeared," said Wong Yin-kong, a regular protester. Many left after the confrontation, he said. James Cheung said many in the crowd had just joined to provoke a fight. "They were making noise and creating trouble, I think they are here to distract us," he said.
