10th June 2023 – (Hong Kong) Police officers fired two shots during a high-speed chase in Hung Hom today (10th) at around 11.45am. While chasing a suspicious vehicle, officers managed to intercept it at Princess Margaret Road near Hung Hom Police Station, leading to the arrest of one individual. A large number of armed personnel rushed to the scene to provide support and conduct an investigation. The left side window of the suspicious vehicle was broken, and a man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and shorts was handcuffed and taken into custody.
According to reports, a driver noticed that the licence plate of another vehicle was the same as his own, and suspected that something was amiss, so he called the police for help. When the police arrived, the suspicious vehicle tried to flee, but eventually crashed into a police car. A police officer and a member of the public fired two shots during the incident.
At 4.15pm today, senior superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Western Kowloon Criminal Division briefed the media on the case. He stated that the incident involved dangerous driving and drug trafficking. At 11.45am, the police received a report that a car with a fake licence plate was suspected to be lurking around Lion Rock Tunnel. The police attempted to intercept the car, which was found near Hung Hom Police Station on Princess Margaret Road, 10 minutes later. As the area was congested with traffic, the officers got out of their vehicles and tried to intercept the car. After several verbal warnings were ignored, the driver attempted to reverse and escape, hitting a private car behind him. To protect themselves and other road users, a traffic police officer drew his gun and issued a verbal warning. When the warning was ignored, he fired a shot, hitting the right door of the shadow car. However, the car did not stop, and instead crashed into another police car. Another traffic officer then drew his gun, issued a verbal warning, and fired a shot, hitting the left rear door window of the car. The car finally crashed into a crash barrier, and the police officers were able to control and arrest the driver.
After searching the vehicle, the police found 80 packs of cocaine inside. The car had been reported missing in Yuen Long in March. Mr. Chung emphasised that the police would not fire their weapons lightly, and would only do so to protect themselves and others from serious harm. There are strict guidelines in place for the use of firearms by the police, and initial investigations indicate that the two officers acted reasonably in firing their weapons.
Following the high-speed chase and arrest of the 25-year-old suspect, a large number of police officers from the Police Tactical Unit were dispatched to the scene to search for bullets. Plainclothes investigators continued to gather evidence at the scene. According to eyewitnesses, the handle of the driver’s door of the suspicious vehicle involved in the incident appeared to have a bullet hole, and the left rear passenger window was shattered. The front of the vehicle was also visibly damaged due to its collision with a police car and a roadside guard rail.
Upon investigation, the 25-year-old male driver on the private car was arrested for trafficking in dangerous drugs, driving without a valid license, dangerous driving, using false instrument and driving without third party insurance. He is being detained for further enquiries.