Two protesters have been formally charged with assault in relation to an incident in which they allegedly beat a riot cop who had just been laid out by a flying kick while attempting to make an arrest in a now-viral video.
According to Ming Pao, the case was heard at Kowloon City Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon, and defendants were named Tse Sun-shing, 30, and Kan Wei-pang, 24. Tse, a steel fixer, was charged with assault with intent to rob, and Kan, a civil engineer, was charged with one count of assaulting a police officer and possession of an offensive weapon.
Stand News reports that Kan is still in hospital receiving treatment for unspecified injuries, and Tse was not required to enter a plea yesterday. The case was adjourned for Dec. 23.
Tse and Kan are believed to be the two men seen beating the downed officer, identified in court only as W, outside the Grand Plaza mall in Mong Kok.
A video widely shared online on Sunday afternoon shows protesters rescuing a person from arrest outside Mong Kok's Grand Plaza, by jump-kicking a riot police officer in the face.
Photo: Telegram. #hongkong #hongkongprotests #antiELAB pic.twitter.com/2sYXAPIzKb
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) October 13, 2019
In the widely circulated video, the lone riot cop can be seen attempting to arrest a protester as another protester tries to pull them away. Suddenly, a mysterious third protester comes to their aid, leaping into the frame to deliver a flying kick to the officer’s face.
The person who delivered the kick runs from the scene as two other men, allegedly Tse and Kan, rush towards the officer and begin hitting him while he’s down.
The prosecution alleges that after W fell to the grounds, Tse hit the officer in the head and attempted to grab his gun, while Kan beat the officer with a long pole.
The two then fled the scene, but Ming Pao reports that the duo were arrested shortly after the incident.
It’s still not clear what happened to the person who delivered the flying kick.
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