A man has been arrested after allegedly wielding a Swiss army knife at a commuter to demand an apology for bumping into him at Admiralty MTR station. A passenger who intervened in the incident was arrested for allegedly fighting in public.

An MTR spokesperson told HKFP that the incident took place on Tuesday around 8:30am. Several police officers rushed to the scene with shields.

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Police at the scene. Photo: Lennon Chan‎, via Facebook.

The 22-year-old commuter, surnamed Ng, said he was on his way to work when he disembarked at the station and bumped into the suspect, who appeared to be in his 30s.

“I was holding a phone when I walked into [the suspect’s] hand. He was holding a newspaper. Then he became upset and chased after me, saying that I bumped into him,” Ng told Apple Daily.

“He was very emotional and told me to say sorry. I didn’t think it was necessary to say sorry. He hit me, but I didn’t fight back. He then took out a Swiss army knife.”

Ng said another passenger intervened and pushed the suspect away, but the suspect slashed through the passenger’s shirt with the knife. Ng went to seek help from MTR staff.

The MTR spokesperson said their station staff attempted to separate two men who were scuffling and alerted the police.

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The passenger remained at the scene to assist with police investigation. Photo: Kenneth Cheng, via Facebook.

They said one of the men held an item suspected to be a knife, and later boarded a train bound for Kennedy Town. An MTR employee followed him onto the train.

Police later found the man at Kennedy Town station, according to the spokesperson. Station assistants called an ambulance to send the victim to the hospital.

Ng said he sustained injuries on his face, neck and left hand. He thanked the passenger for stepping in.

The spokesperson said train services were not affected by the incident.

UPDATE 20:50: Police told HKFP that the knife-wielding man, 35, was arrested for alleged assault. The 27-year-old passenger who intervened was also arrested for allegedly fighting in public.

Ellie Ng has written for Foreign Policy, the Daily Telegraph, Global Voices Online and others.