Hong Kong police condemn driver who smashed into traffic cordon during 6km chase

Police also deny using civilian vehicles to create roadblock, saying operational focus was to discover suspect’s whereabouts

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Hong Kong police open the driver’s car door after a dramatic stand-off in Ho Man Tin. Photo: Facebook / @ Sam Kwong

Published: 11:53pm, 23 Aug 2024Updated: 7:19pm, 24 Aug 2024

Hong Kong police have condemned a driver’s reckless attempt to plough through a traffic cordon, which left one officer injured and four private cars damaged, but denied using civilian vehicles as a roadblock during the dramatic 6km (3.7 mile) chase.

The force also revealed on Saturday that the 40-year-old suspect held an expired driving licence. He is alleged to have driven a silver rental car across Kowloon for more than an hour with HK$20,000 (US$2,600) worth of illegal drugs in the vehicle on Friday evening.

A video clip posted online shows officers with their guns drawn and batons out as they approach the Toyota after it came to a halt upon reaching the front of a line of cars stopped on Princess Margaret Road at around 8.30pm.

But the driver suddenly accelerates in an attempt to squeeze between two vehicles, becoming stuck. He reverses, slamming into an officer standing behind the car and continues until he crashes into the vehicle behind him.

Officers finally managed to smash the windows of the car and wrestle open the driver-side door, pulling the suspect to the ground and subduing him.

Windy Tsui Suk-yee, an assistant district police commander for Kowloon City, told a media briefing on Saturday that the officer remained in hospital and was in a stable condition, while the nine civilians in the damaged private cars were “fine for the time being”.