Man, 41, arrested for trying to get cash by hurling himself at cars

So this guy — filmed trying to create a phony accident by hurling himself at a slowly-moving car — didn’t get away so easily after all, reports HK01.

Not that he was hurt, the dash cam from the December 8 incident in Cheung Sha Wan kinda proved that.

No, turns out, police officers placed him under real arrest for the fake hit-and-run (he being the one who ran away, in this case).

And the 41-year-old suspect surnamed Wu, police allege, is a serial offender, linked to four other instances of deliberately getting “hit” by cars before asking for money.

According to HK01, the man initially denied he was seeking to cash-in on the planned collision.

https://youtu.be/kpMlUvH5i9k

He claimed he rushed in front of the car because he was upset after arguing with his girlfriend.

Then his history of phony pedestrian collisions emerged, prompting police to reclassify the case from “normal traffic accident” to suspected fraud.

Police linked him to four similar instances in Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok that occured in the last year.

Each time, he would rush on to the road, get “knocked over” and demand cash.

He never succeeded, according to HK01.

Police also arrested a 29-year-old female accomplice surnamed Ko who, in the most recent case, appeared to deliberately stop the driver from pursuing the suspect by blocking his path and shout that she was being “molested.”

Masterminds.

Many netizens likened the incident to the “fake car accidents” that sometimes happen in the mainland where “victims” extort money from innocent motorists by throwing themselves in front of vehicles and demanding compensation.

Barrister Albert Luk told Apple Daily that as far as he’s aware, this is the the first time that someone who attempted to fake a car accident has actually been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

He said that those found guilty of fraud can get up to 14 years in jail, and said that the reason why authorities decide not to prosecute in cases like this is because it can be difficult to prove that the defendant deliberately threw themselves onto a vehicle.