Hong Kong police charge man, 76, over allegedly wounding elderly passer-by after throwing 2 acid bottles out of window
- Police say two bottles containing what appeared to be drain cleaner fell from Hon Pak House at around 1.23pm on Tuesday, injuring 73-year-old woman on neck, hands
- ‘The arrested person acted out of a lack of civic-mindedness and ignorance of pedestrian safety. It was not a prank or an indiscriminate attempt to harm people,’ force adds
A 76-year-old man has been charged with one count of wounding after he allegedly threw two plastic bottles containing acid out of the window of a Hong Kong public housing flat, injuring an elderly passer-by.
Police said on Thursday that the two bottles containing what appeared to be drain cleaner fell from Hon Pak House at Wan Ho Estate in Kwun Tong at around 1.23pm on Tuesday.
The 73-year-old pedestrian was splashed with the acid on her neck and hands and was rushed to United Christian Hospital, according to police.
Inspector Yiu Wing-lui of the Sau Mau Ping criminal investigation unit said that based on the location where the bottles fell, officers raided the first-floor flat of Hon Pak House and found two bottle caps in the kitchen’s trash bin.
He said the caps matched the bottles that were dropped.
At around 5.30pm on the same day, police arrested a 76-year-old tenant on the premises. The suspect is one of the several elderly residents who share the flat.
“The man was suspected of throwing the two bottles out of the window after using the solution to clear a blocked basin drain,” Yiu said.
She said one of the bottles contained leftover acid that injured the pedestrian.
Chief Inspector Lau Wing-kwan of the Sau Mau Ping crime unit said police believed it was an isolated case.
Woman and male bystander suffer burns in Hong Kong acid attack
“The arrested person acted out of a lack of civic-mindedness and ignorance of pedestrian safety. It was not a prank or an indiscriminate attempt to harm people,” Lau said.
Stressing that the force had been paying close attention to cases of objects being thrown from height, Lau warned police would spare no effort to bring offenders to justice.
Inspector Yiu said the suspect had been charged with one count of wounding and would be brought to Kwun Tong Court on May 10.
She said the injured woman had been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.
Under the Offences against the Person Ordinance, wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm is punishable by up to three years in jail, according to police.
