DANNY LEE DANNY.LEE@SCMP.COMPUBLISHED : Monday, 01 December, 2014, 1:08pm
UPDATED : Monday, 01 December, 2014, 2:06pm
The suspected policeman lays one the ground after a sustained beating by protesters. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Violence erupted in Admiralty on Monday morning following students’ attempts to storm government headquarters, with at least one suspected undercover police officer rushed to hospital after he was beaten and kicked by students.
The chaotic brawl, captured on camera by theSouth China Morning Post, began at around 9am, an hour after police had repelled protesters’ attempts to storm government headquarters with pepper spray and batons.
The atmosphere in the area was tense as angry students exchanged taunts with police officers standing on an overhead footbridge on Harcourt Road before uniformed police moved back to Lung Wo Road.
An argument broke out between at least three suspected plain-clothes officers and protesters. More than a dozen students gave chase and attacked the three suspected policemen when one of the officers appeared to signal with two fingers for them to approach as they walked into Admiralty Centre.
The Post’s video captures the scene inside the building, where a crowd of some 200 protesters and journalists had surged towards the chaotic scenes. The footage shows one suspected policeman on the ground with several protesters appearing to attack him.
At this point another of the suspected undercover policemen retrieves a baton from his bag and uses it to create distance between himself and the demonstrators, threatening to hit anyone who does not back away.
The video then shows the officer being surrounded by protesters, before panning to the policeman on the ground, who appears to be semi-conscious. Some try to revive him. The policeman quickly regains consciousness and picks up what appears to be an identification card.
The presence of the baton further agitated the crowd and the camera then pans back to the policeman who was previously seen holding it. He is being swarmed by protesters who have him in a chokehold, pushing, shoving and hitting him as other demonstrators try to get him out of the way.
As one protester grappled to remove the weapon from the officer, another policeman stumbled on some steps and was crushed.
Around five minutes after the fight broke out, police reinforcements arrived and further chaos ensued as tactical support officers, armed with helmets, shields and pepper spray, charged in to rescue their suspected colleagues.
Officers struggled to gain control and tensions mounted as a bottle of water was thrown from the direction of protesters at the police, who charged back at the crowd, knocking people over in a bid to secure the area.
Protesters chanted: “Put away batons!” before several arrests were finally made.
At least one protester was rushed to hospital by ambulance along with the suspected policeman.
