Hong Kong police on hunt for 7 suspects following pre-dawn knife attack at McDonald's outlet

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's anti-triad police are searching for seven assailants after two men were slashed in a knife attack at a 24-hour McDonald's outlet in the early hours of Tuesday (Nov 13), reported South China Morning Post.

The pre-dawn incident happened at around 4.30am when the two victims, aged 19 and 26, were on their way out of the McDonald's outlet at Fortune Plaza Arcade in Tai Po.

One police source said that the two men retreated into the outlet with five masked, knife-wielding men in pursuit.

About 10 customers and staff members were in the outlet at the time of the attack, which lasted less than 20 seconds, according to the source.

"Inside the shop, the two victims accidentally bumped into a pile of trays loaded with bread and then fell onto the floor before being slashed in the arms and legs," he was quoted as saying by the Post.

After the attack, the gang of five attackers ran out of the fast food outlet and fled in two cars. The sixth and seventh suspects are believed to be drivers of the two cars.

Officers have since mounted a search for the seven suspects, but no arrests have been made.

The victims, who each suffered five to six knife wounds, were taken conscious to hospital. The older man has since been discharged while the younger victim was later transferred to another hospital for treatment. Police said the condition of the younger man was stable.

The police source told the Post the attack appeared to be a pre-meditated ambush and meant to serve as a warning because the attackers targeted only the victims' limbs.

Officers were investigating the victims' backgrounds and reviewing security camera footage to gather evidence and establish the motive behind the attack, he said.

Police suspect the older victim is a member of the notorious Sun Yee On triad, according to the Post.

Detectives from Tai Po police's anti-triad squad were handling the case, reported the Post.

According to official statistics, there were 835 reports of triad-related crimes across the city in the first six months of this year, down 1.8 per cent compared with the same period last year.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.