Man Arrested Over 'Lennon Tunnel' Knife Attack

Police said on Saturday evening that they had arrested a 22-year-old man after a teenager was stabbed as he was handing out leaflets in Tai Po's "Lennon Tunnel".

Police said the 19-year-old victim, who is believed to have been slashed across the neck and stabbed in the abdomen, was injured during a "dispute" outside Tai Po Market MTR Station at around 5.30pm.

But a man surnamed Lee, who told RTHK he was a friend of the teenager, said there had been no conflict between the victim and the knifeman before the attack.

"I was handing out leaflets. I believe that the man suddenly rushed to my friend and slashed him across his neck. Then my friend ran this way. After he fell down, [the man] seemed to stab him in the abdomen," Lee said.

"There was no conflict [before the stabbing]. I only saw him [the attacker] walking past once when I was giving out leaflets. He stood there saying something like 'Hong Kong is part of China'. Then he said – not sure who he was referring to – it is you guys turning Hong Kong into a mess."

Passers-by gave the injured teenager first aid, attempting to stem the bleeding from his wounds as he lay on the ground. He was conscious as he was taken by stretcher into an ambulance to be ferried to Prince of Wales Hospital.

Video footage showed people berating a man who appeared to be waving around some kind of knife. He left the area in a taxi, people at the scene of the attack said.

In a social media post announcing the arrest they had made, police said they were treating the incident as wounding.

"The police strongly condemn any acts of violence. Regardless of the motives or background, we will take every case seriously and carry out investigation actively," the statement said.

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