A man was doused in a flammable liquid and set on fire during a what appeared to be argument with protesters on a footbridge in Ma On Shan this afternoon, as citywide protests of uncommon ferocity exploded across the city following the shooting of a protester this morning.
Police confirmed to Coconuts HK that they had received several reports of the incident just before 1pm. A police representative said that while they had few details as to what led to the attack, reports indicated that the man had been assaulted before being set on fire.
The representative added that the last update police had received on the case was that firefighters had arrived at the scene of the incident, which took place on a pedestrian bridge on Sai Sha Road.
While the nature of the apparent dispute remained unclear as of press time, the victim appeared to already be bloody in videos from the scene (warning: the video is graphic in nature). Voices off camera can be heard shouting “F**k your mom,” and “go back” to the mainland.
One man can be seen appearing to dab the blood from the victim’s face as the back-and-forth between the middle-aged man and bystanders continued. Suddenly, a person wearing black clothes and a mask splashes a liquid onto the man’s face and upper body, and holds a lighter to the man’s shirt, which immediately goes up in flames.
HK01 published photos of the man in a conscious state in what appears to be the aftermath of the fire, and notes that he was sent to Prince of Wales Hospital.
The SCMP, meanwhile, reports that the man was being treated for second-degree burns over 28 percent of his body, mostly on his arms and torso.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include information on the nature of the victim’s injuries.
