Two women were fatally stabbed in a Hong Kong mall in an apparently random attack. A graphic video of the incident, which has been circulating on social media, shows the man pinning one of the victims to the floor before stabbing them repeatedly.
The victim’s friend can also be seen trying to fend off the attacker. At one point, she managed to drag her friend a few meters away in a trail of blood. However, the attacker eventually caught up to them and continued his attack on the first victim after punching the second woman. Despite that, she continued to intervene multiple times, even kicking the man at one point.
After several minutes, the assailant left the first woman, who was lying motionless on the floor, and began to chase after the second woman. He then proceeded to stab and slash her neck off camera. Horrified shoppers, including children, watched in horror before a chef from a nearby restaurant attacked the suspect with two stools.
According to the chef, he had rushed to the scene after taking the chairs from the restaurant. Feeling threatened, he hit the attacker’s head once, which appeared to stun him. He then hit him in the head again after the attacker moved a bit closer, which, to his surprise, caused the knife-welding man to sob suddenly.
Police officers arrived at the scene within minutes of the attack and the two women were taken to United Christian Hospital, where they were ultimately declared dead upon arrival.
The victims were later identified as 26-year-old Fong Hiu Tung and 22-year-old Lau Kai Hei. The pair had been dating for over a month and had lived together in Tai Po. On the day of the attack, they had planned on celebrating Fong’s grandfather’s 90th birthday at a local restaurant. However, they never made it as they were attacked at the mall.
The assailant was ultimately handcuffed and arrested after police officers arrived with pepper spray and shields and ordered him to drop the knife. According to officials, the attacker was a 39-year-old unemployed man with a history of mental illness and regularly required medications and check-ups.
In a separate video that has circulated online, the man can be seen purchasing a 12-inch sashimi knife at a store in the same mall.
According to a preliminary investigation, there is no evidence that the attacker knew the two women. The case, which has since been classified as murder, is now being handled by the Kowloon East regional crime unit. John Lee, the Chief Executive, has offered his condolences to the women’s families. He also emphasized that the stabbing was an isolated attack.
Following his arrest, the man was charged with two counts of murder and is due to appear in court on Monday.
