A camera has captured the dramatic moment when a man – reportedly an off-duty police officer – was dragged away from his car and firebombed by rioters amid violent clashes in Hong Kong.

Footage shared by Xinhua news agency shows masked mobsters surrounding the man’s car in a Hong Kong street. They then hurl a petrol bomb at the victim, who was wearing a white T-shirt, before he runs away to escape the blaze. He dropped a sidearm on the ground.

Further into the clip, he is seen making a phone call, at which point a second petrol bomb explodes under his legs.

Hong Kong rioters were spotted beating a police officer and throwing a petrol bomb at him. #HKRiotspic.twitter.com/W0YmifciGK — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) October 5, 2019

The assault occurred amid anti-Beijing protests that continue to rage in Hong Kong, with violent demonstrators targeting Chinese banks, setting streets ablaze, and vandalizing underground stations.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam accused the violent protesters of creating “a very dark night” for the city.

“Everyone is very worried and concerned, or even scared,” she said in a recorded video statement released on Saturday.

Earlier, the city suspended all underground and train services as the authorities braced for another wave of violence on Saturday on the back of a failed new ban on face masks.

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