Only appropriate force used at Prince Edward: cops

Only appropriate force used at Prince Edward: cops

Police have refuted online rumours that a young man was seriously injured as they arrested him on Tuesday night, stressing that they used "appropriate force" to subdue him despite videos showing the youngster seemed to have lost consciousness at one point.



The force said officers were called to Prince Edward MTR Station after receiving reports that someone was spraying graffiti on ticket machines.



The man they arrested had put up a "serious struggle", senior superintendent Kong Wing-cheung said, so officers had to subdue him with "appropriate force".



He added that the arrested youth was also wanted by the police, on suspicion of storming into the Legislative council complex on July 1.



Footage of the arrest inside the MTR station went viral on the internet and it showed the young man lying on the ground surrounded by officers, and appearing to be unconscious.



Kong said the youngster was "not feeling well" so officers had to call an ambulance and he was later taken to hospital.



Kong said although he could not confirm whether the man had lost consciousness at any point, he had been able to answer paramedics' questions about his identity once inside the ambulance.



Rejecting online rumours and allegations that the man had been dragged by officers and was seriously hurt, the force said he was now in a stable condition in hospital.



The force also clarified that it didn't allow medical volunteers to treat the young man involved in the incident, because officers were not able to tell whether the medics were professionals.



And officers wouldn't allow people who claim to be paramedics to treat a detainee, because it would be hard to say who was responsible if a suspect's condition worsened, the police said.



At its daily press conference, the force also stressed that it respects press freedom and hasn't been trying to prevent reporters from doing their job.



Chief superintendent John Tse said journalists were made to leave a bus in Kowloon Bay on Tuesday night because it had been designated a crime scene.



He said officers didn't object to the reporters' right to monitor the situation, adding that not all of the area had been cordoned off.