Hong Kong police have charged a driver suspected of trying to smash through a blockade during a chase, allegedly leaving an officer injured and four private cars damaged, with seven offences, including reckless driving.
The 40-year-old man, who was driving a rented car, was captured in a viral video attempting to maneuver between vehicles on Princess Margaret Road in Ho Man Tin, where police had set up a roadblock to intercept him on Friday night.
Police said on Sunday they had charged the suspect with one count of taking a conveyance without authority, one count of furious driving, one count of assaulting police, one count of drug trafficking, possession of an identity card related to another person, driving without a permit and one count of driving a vehicle without third-party insurance.
He was expected to appear in Kowloon City Court on Monday.
The online clip shows officers with their weapons drawn and batons out as they approached the Toyota after it came to a halt after it reached the front of a line of cars stopped at the roadblock at around 8.30pm on Friday.
The car is alleged to have hit an officer standing behind it as the driver tried to flee the scene.
Officers eventually smashed the windows of the car and wrestled open the driver’s door, pulled the suspect on to the ground and subdued him.
The force said the man had an expired driving licence and officers found HK$20,000 (US$2,600) worth of illegal drugs in the vehicle.
