Fong said he tried to run because he did not know who the men were.
The officers then searched his bag and found 10 laser pointers in a plastic bag. Fong said he bought the pointers for star-gazing – a meteor shower is due to happen on Friday.
Fong was later told he was arrested for alleged possession of offensive weapons. The crowd who witnessed the arrest surrounded Fong and were angry with the officers when they heard the accusation. The crowd demanded the officers release Fong.
After his arrest, Fong said he was feeling unwell and vomited. He was sent to Caritas Medical Centre. It was understood Fong has asthma.
Ronald Chin, the vice-chancellor of the university, went to the hospital to see Fong. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he quoted Fong as saying an officer grabbed him by the throat while he was in the ambulance, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.
A few hundred protesters went to Sham Shui Po when news of Fong’s arrest spread on social media. They surrounded the Sham Shui Po Police Station and called for his immediate release.
Some of the demonstrators daubed graffiti on the building’s walls, while others shone lasers at the officers inside.
At about 11.20pm, police fired tear gas from inside the station at the crowd on Yen Chow Street. Riot police were deployed to the area and pushed the protesters down toward Apliu Street.
Seven men and two women were arrested, including a Shatin district councilor, and the protesters left after midnight.
Li Kwai-hai, a senior superintendent at the organized crime and triad bureau, said the plainclothes officers were off duty and discovered the student bought the 10 lasers for HK$4,250 (US$542) at a stall in Sham Shui Po.
Li justified the arrest by saying Fong acted suspiciously when the officers approached him. They found 10 18-centimeter-long laser pointers in a bag and added that anyone in possession of them could be classified as carrying “offensive weapons.”
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