FactWire has obtained CCTV footage showing pro-democracy election hopeful Tommy Cheung Sau-yin being chased by two men moments before his alleged attack in Tai Wai on Monday night.
Cheung, who had announced his intention to run in a Hong Kong by-election, was first captured by a CCTV camera at 11:12pm on Monday as he turned into a dark alley from Chik Fuk Street with a multicolour umbrella in his hand. He looked scared as he ran towards Tai Wai Tsuen, the exclusive footage shows.
Two tall, dark-skinned men emerge 10 seconds later as they enter the alley and start running in the same direction.
One of them can be seen wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans and a light-coloured scarf, while the other man is wearing blue trousers and a zip-up hoodie with the hood up.
A second camera then showed Cheung leaving another alley in the direction back to Chik Fuk Street at around 11:13pm. The two men also emerge on the first camera a few seconds later as they turn back and leave Tai Wai Tsuen.
The time on both cameras was running 39 minutes and 24 seconds slower than the actual time.
The 23-year-old former student activist, who did not know about the footage at the time, told FactWire that he went to have a late-night meal at a noodle restaurant in Chik Luk Lane off Chik Fuk Street after parking his car outside Tai Wai Village Office at around 10pm on Monday.
At around 11pm, a car arrived and parked outside a primary school across the street before two men of Asian appearance got off and started walking towards him, Cheung said.
The pair, who were staring at him maliciously – according to Cheung – walked past the restaurant and disappeared into Chik Luk Lane.
He left the restaurant about 15 minutes later but shortly returned as he forgot his umbrella. When he headed out again to pick up his car, the two men were standing outside a hair salon and an adjacent dental clinic, which were opposite to the restaurant, he said.
Cheung said he immediately scurried to his car but was followed by the two men. He then turned into an alley towards Tai Wai Tsuen – right before reaching his car – in the hope of shaking them off.
Fearing that he might be attacked in alleyways, Cheung turned into another alley and walked back towards Chik Fuk Street where he met the two men again shortly after. They then pushed him onto the ground and beat him, he said.
A passerby who saw the incident shouted at the attackers, who then ran off in the direction of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Sin Chu Wan Primary School. The passerby helped him off the ground and called police.
Confirming the two men as the attackers, Cheung said one of them was wearing a white scarf and the other wearing a hood. He also confirmed that the attackers did not follow him out of the alleyways but managed to catch up with him on the main street.
