A 28-year-old man who claimed to be living with AIDS was arrested after allegedly attempting to seize a double-decker bus, causing a collision in North Point on Friday.
According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred around 6.45pm local time when a 54-year-old Citybus driver was informed by passengers on the upper deck that a man had smashed the bus’s rear right window with an emergency hammer.
The driver stopped the bus on King’s Road, instructed passengers to disembark, and removed the vehicle keys as a safety precaution.
However, while inspecting the damaged window, the suspect rushed into the driver’s seat and released the handbrake. The bus then rolled backward and collided with a stationary KMB bus behind it.
The suspect jumped out of the upper-deck window and walked away on foot without attempting to flee. The driver tried to restrain him but was unsuccessful, and police later arrested the man outside the HSBC branch on King’s Road.
Sources reported that the suspect spoke incoherently in Cantonese and appeared to be mentally disturbed at the time of arrest. Blood was visible on his hands, and he claimed to have AIDS.
Both the suspect and the bus driver were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The man now faces four charges: criminal damage, taking a vehicle without consent, driving without a licence, and driving without third-party insurance. The case is under investigation by Hong Kong’s criminal investigation team.
