Police report made after elderly man punches woman on Hong Kong MTR in reported seat dispute
In the latest public transport altercation in East Asia, an elderly man punched a woman in the face on the Hong Kong MTR.
He later said that he was trying to get to an empty seat, reported The Standard.
Source: @eugenfung on Threads
Man hurls profanities & hits woman on Hong Kong MTR
Videos of the incident were posted on Threads on Sunday (4 Jan), showing the elderly man hurling profanities and aiming a heavy punch directly at the woman’s face.
Though she recoiled from the strike, she did not retaliate but told the man that she would alert the authorities.
Other commuters tried to intervene, telling the man to refrain from violence.
The man responded that he was merely trying to get to a seat.
Source: @eugenfung on Threads
Elderly man dismisses criticism from others
Another clip showed the elderly man already seated with another man admonishing him over his behaviour, pointing out that there are laws in Hong Kong.
However, the man dismissed the criticism, replying: “What about Hong Kong?”
Source: @eugenfung on Threads
The woman who was hit chipped in angrily, scolding him for beating her for no reason.
Netizens criticise man for violent behaviour
After the videos went viral, several netizens criticised the man for resorting to violence and said he should be arrested.
Translation: This is really outrageous. It’s wrong to hit someone, and to punch them in the face is unacceptable. We must call the police.
Source: Threads
Another praised the woman for staying calm and choosing to call the police instead of fighting back.
Translation: To be honest, that girl has incredibly high EQ. To be punched in the face like that and still not strike back or scream profanities, staying calm enough to call the police — that’s impressive.
Source: Threads
Others expressed concern over the woman’s condition.
Hong Kong MTR couldn’t find passengers involved in seat dispute
The incident took place at about 9am on Sunday, according to The Standard.
The elderly man was reportedly rushing for an empty seat but became enraged when he believed that the woman was blocking him.
In response to inquiries from Sing Tao Daily, MTR Corp said the police sought its assistance regarding a passenger dispute at around that time.
MTR staff were dispatched to investigate but could not find the passengers involved.
The transport operator urged passengers to be courteous to one another and to seek help from staff or the police if necessary.
Police report made, no arrests so far
The Hong Kong Police told The Standard that the woman had reported being assaulted inside an MTR train at Wong Tai Sin Station on Sunday.
She was taken to the hospital for treatment after sustaining facial injuries.
The police have classified the case as common assault.
It is being handled by the Wong Tai Sin Police District, but no arrests have been made so far.
Source: @eugenfung on Threads
Woman suffers emotional distress from incident
However, the woman, who is surnamed Li, told The Standard that she was deeply traumatised by the incident.
She was in fact hit two or three times before the video started, she revealed.
Describing what happened prior to the clip, she said she was listening to music when she felt a push and was suddenly confronted by the elderly man, who hurled profanities and then hit her.
Not only did Ms Li sustain lip and jaw injuries, she also suffers emotional distress which resulted in nightmares and a fear of going out.
Worse still, a job offer was rescinded two hours before she signed the contract — something she attributed to bad publicity due to the viral videos of the incident.
Also read: Passenger kicks elderly woman on Taiwan subway after being hit by bag over priority seat
Passenger kicks elderly woman on Taiwan subway after being hit by bag over priority seat
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Featured image adapted from @eugenfung on Threads.
