Hong Kong protests: Anti-ELAB demonstrator passes out after being subdued in Prince Edward MTR; police stop and search bus passengers in Kowloon Bay
Crowds in the train station were pepper sprayed after they complained about the force's treatment of a protester and blocked additional law enforcement
Hong Kong police used pepper spray and batons in Prince Edward MTR station on Tuesday night after they were surrounded by an angry crowd complaining about officers subduing a man on the concourse.
The incident at the station, the scene of shocking violence at the weekend as radical anti-government protesters clashed with riot police, occurred late in the evening following a large rally in Admiralty on the second day of a citywide strike over the now-shelved extradition bill.
After the rally at Tamar Park had ended, some protesters made their way to Prince Edward and Wong Tai Sin, another spot that had recently seen several intense clashes.
At around 11.15pm, police intercepted and subdued two men in black tops on the concourse of Prince Edward station. One, who was wearing a gas mask, passed out during the incident.
Passers-by surrounded the officers, demanding to know why the man had been subdued and calling for no more harm to be done to him. As a volunteer paramedic tried to help the man, officers ordered the crowd to step back to make room.
With the situation tense and the crowd still shouting abuse, riot police entered the station from another entrance. But people tried to block them, resulting in officers using pepper spray and swinging their batons to disperse the crowd.
Paramedics later arrived and took the man to hospital.
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Into the early hours of Wednesday, a small crowd of protesters remained around Mong Kok Police Station, close to the MTR station.
Meanwhile, after a minor attempt to block Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin, some protesters got on a bus on route 42C heading to Lam Tin station at 9.10pm. About 15 minutes later, as the KMB double decker arrived in Kowloon Bay, several people tried to get off but were met by dozens of police.
Officers entered the bus and ordered some of the about 20 people on board to put their hands on their head. The double decker did not leave the bus stop.
Police then searched people’s belongings and took their ID card details.
Angry residents and commuters complained the investigation was inconvenient and made no sense. They shouted abuse at police.
Officers warned residents surrounding them not to shout loudly at night and to stop carrying out acts that constituted a breach of peace.
More than two hours later, police and those on board had not left the bus.