A Hong Kong teenager was subdued by police at a basketball court after allegedly assaulting two officers who arrived at the scene following a report of suspected violation of Covid-19 public gathering rules, local media reported.
The 15-year-old boy was reportedly pinned to the ground by three plainclothes officers at a basketball court in Wong Tai Sin last Sunday, according to a video shared by online media outlet Channel C HK on Monday evening.
The footage – shot by an eyewitness – appeared to show three men holding down a teenager whose mask came off as they struggled. The boy can be heard saying: “You pushed first.”
Speaking to Channel C HK, the eyewitness who shot the video said that a group of people playing basketball at the scene left upon the arrival of two men. The teenager, who was said to be shooting hoops on the other side of the court with a group of teens, remained there as he and his companions tried to retrieve two basketballs that were stuck on the post.
The teenager later got into an argument with the men, according to the eyewitness, who said some pushing followed and eventually saw the boy being pinned to the ground.
The father of the teenager, surnamed Wong, told Channel C HK that his two sons – the younger of whom is 13 – were told by suspected plainclothes officers to stop playing basketball at Fung Chuen Court following a resident’s complaint.
Wong said his 15-year-old son was arrested for allegedly assaulting police and resisting arrest, adding that his son had injuries on his chest, face and hands.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries, police said on Tuesday that they received a report at around 5 p.m. last Sunday claiming that many people were congregating at a basketball court on 80 Po Kong Village Road in Wong Tai Sin. The report said that someone was not wearing a face mask.
Police said people at the scene dispersed immediately when officers arrived and the Force later stopped two men for investigation. One was said to be “emotional” and allegedly attacked two officers.
A man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting police and was released on bail pending investigation. The Force also meted out tickets for a fixed penalty of HK$5,000 to the arrestee and the other individual they stopped over breaching Covid-19 social distancing rules, which currently bans public gatherings of more than two people.
The Police Public Relations Branch did not provide the age of the arrested person, saying they could only confirm that he was under 18. They also did not verify whether the three men in the video were plainclothes officers.
Sports venues and facilities operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department are temporarily closed until April 20 amid the fifth wave of the Covid-19 outbreak.
As of Monday, Hong Kong has registered 496,767 cases and 2,287 Covid-19-related deaths.
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