ONE of Hong Kong’s liveliest districts is in lockdown after a violent night which saw police fire two warning shots at protesters angry at a crackdown on street food hawkers on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Mong Kok, the scene of unrest during the Occupy protests in 2014, remains unsettled as protesters throw bricks and bottled at police and police respond with pepper spray, according to the South China Morning Post.

Witnesses said paving stones were being ripped up and some objects were being hurled at officers.

Three people were hurt in the riot and there had been three arrests for assault of police and obstruction, the media outlet quotes police as saying.

But RTHK quoted police as saying there were 44 injured police and reporters and 24 arrests, including one woman.

Police were struck by glass, beaten and one has even been left in a coma, RTHK reports.

Video has emerged showing the moment police drew guns on the crowds and fired two warning shots into the air on Argyle Street around 2am local time.

WTF~ Hong Kong Police(Bad Cop) open fire to shoot People who buy the fish ball in Mong Kok #魚蛋革命 #fishballrevolution pic.twitter.com/FNPXHt8YUw — Alan Chung (@alanchung666) February 8, 2016

An SCMP reporter on the scene also witnessed and heard two shots fired from a gun.

The violent clashes started at around 10pm local time on the first day of Chinese New Year when police tried to clear Portland Street as part of a citywide crackdown on hawkers.

The crowd responded by throwing glass bottles and flower pots and police used pepper spray and were seen swinging their batons.

Radical group, PassionTimes, posted a video to their Facebook page of police hitting a woman, causing bruising and bleeding.



【旺角警民衝突】有市民被警員打到頭破血流在旺角朗豪坊，警方向市民使用胡椒噴霧，並出警棍狂毆市民之後，及後警民再次爆發衝突，警方再次出警棍及胡椒噴霧，期間有警員在亞皆老街向天開槍，更用槍指嚇市民。在彌敦道，有警員從後追打一名女子，導致她頭破血流。（2:45 AM） Posted by PassionTimes 熱血時報 on Monday, February 8, 2016

In a statement, police said they “strongly condemned” the clashes in Mong Kok.

The police said they took “resolute actions” including the deployment of batons and pepper spray to stop “unlawful violence acts.”

However, they failed to make mention of the two warning shots fired into the air.