The mother of a 12-year-old girl who was pinned to the ground by riot police on Sunday afternoon said her daughter is emotionally unstable and may need counseling.
The girl was shopping for art supplies with her older brother, her mother, Ho, said, and she was not taking part in the protests. Both were issued penalty tickets for violating social distancing regulations that restrict gatherings larger than two even though they did not know anybody on the scene.
Video of the preteen walking down the street before suddenly being chased by police officers, who successfully corner her and knock her down seconds after, made rounds on social media yesterday.
In the clip, a police officer is heard asking the girl to stop walking. In what appears to be a moment of impulse, she breaks into a sprint. As two officers chase her from behind, one comes at her from another angle and tackles her to the ground.
A plainclothes officer waving a baton tells reporters to back off from the scene.
Ho told Apple Daily in an interview published Monday that her daughter, who was taken to the hospital after, has resisted talking about the incident. She said she is considering seeking a counselor to help her cope with her emotions.
She added that she is speaking with a lawyer about lodging a complaint against police, but acknowledged that it may be futile.
“In this day and age, I know complaining will be a waste of breath. But [we] still want to have [the incident] on the record,” she said.
Orthopedists said the way the “burly” police officer subdued the girl such that her head hit the ground first could have resulted in grave injuries, and that she is lucky to be relatively unscathed, Apple Daily reported.
Hong Kong police defended the actions of the officers, writing in a Facebook update that the girl “suddenly ran away in a suspicious manner” and therefore police used the “minimum necessary force.”
With street demonstrations dying out due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in early July, the incident is the latest to show what activists say is ongoing police brutality in Hong Kong.
A significant number turned out on Sunday to protest the authorities’ decision to delay the Legislative Council elections by a year, and also to echo support for 12 Hongkongers detained in mainland China after they were caught fleeing to Taiwan.
At least 289 people were arrested, police said, including one suspected of violating the national security law for chanting a pro-independence slogan.
A bus driver who honked at police officers and is being investigated on charges of dangerous driving and possession of offensive weapon was also among the arrested.
