A Man Brandishing a Knife Took a Female Passerby Hostage at Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Police Arrived at the Scene and Fired Shots to Subdue Him

The Police received a report at approximately 7:10 pm on January 15, stating that a suspicious man had taken a knife from a shop in Tuen Mun Town Plaza. Promptly arriving at the scene, the Police found the man holding a 12-inch knife on Tuen Wui Street outside the Plaza. At the time, the man was waving the knife at several passersby, causing panic and prompting the public to flee.

The man took a knife from a shop in Tuen Mun Town Plaza. Photo source: Threads@oliviachows

The man held a 12-inch knife on Tuen Wui Street outside Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Photo source: online image

The man waved the knife at several passersby, causing panic and prompting the public to flee. Photo source: online image

Ms. Chung Lai Yee, the Senior Superintendent of Police from Crime New Territories North Headquarters, stated that the Police immediately issued verbal warnings to the man, but to no avail. They then fired pepper spray at him, but the man entered Tuen Mun Town Plaza through an entrance and quickly exited through another. As he exited, he grabbed a female passerby hostage and simultaneously attacked her with the knife he was holding.

Ms. Chung Lai Yee, the Senior Superintendent of Police from Crime New Territories North Headquarters, Photo source: FB of the Hong Kong Police

Ms. Chung mentioned that the Police issued warnings to the man again, but to no avail repeatedly. Two officers of the Emergency Unit each fired a shot at the man. The man fell to the ground after being shot and was immediately subdued by the Police. Immediately rescuing the female hostage, the Police provided first aid to the man, who was then sent to Tuen Mun Hospital for further treatment. The man was pronounced dead at 8:40 pm after resuscitation efforts failed, while the female passerby was also taken to the hospital for treatment with injuries.

Two officers of the Emergency Unit each fired a shot at the man. Photo source: online image

Two officers of the Emergency Unit each fired a shot at the man. Photo source: on-site CCTV

Ms. Chung stated that police subsequently found a packet of suspected dangerous drugs and an extendable baton in the man's shoulder bag. Doctors have found a bullet in the man's body, with gunshot wounds to the chest and right shoulder. The female hostage sustained minor injuries. The Police also searched the scene, finding a bullet hole and two shell casings in the exterior wall of a shop at the shooting location.

Ms. Chung said that according to preliminary investigations, the deceased is a 34-year-old local man holding a Hong Kong identity card, with underworld connections and a previous drug-related criminal conviction. As for the case, the Police reviewed numerous CCTV clips and found no accomplices with him. Drugs were found on the man, raising the possibility that he may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack. The case is currently being followed up by Team 2 of the Regional Crime Unit of New Territories North for further investigation.

Mr. Wong Ho Hon, the Deputy District Commander of Tuen Mun, Photo source: FB of the Hong Kong Police

Mr. Wong Ho Hon, the Deputy District Commander of Tuen Mun, stated that the Police have stringent guidelines regarding the use of firearms. Given the seriousness of the incident, the officers of the Emergency Unit New Territories North opted for immediate tactical intervention. The actions of the two officers fully complied with the Police's requirements for the use of firearms, using them only when there were no other options. Mr. Wong pointed out that the Police undergo rigorous training, making the use of firearms always aimed at the largest part of ​​the body. In this case, both shots did strike the largest part of the body. Moreover, Mr. Wong emphasized that using firearms is an extremely difficult decision for the Police, based on the purpose to save the life of an innocent passerby this time.

MADRID (AP) — A high-speed train derailment in southern Spain has left at least 39 people dead and injured more than 150, according to authorities.

Rail travel in Europe is a common, relatively affordable and convenient way for many Europeans and tourists to travel. Major railway accidents have decreased since 2010, according to the European Union, yet the crash in Spain is a reminder of how deadly they can be when they happen.

Here is a look at some of the most deadly train, tram and subway crashes in Europe in recent years.

September 2025: A popular street car in Lisbon derailed and crashed into a building, killing 16 people and injuring 21. A preliminary report into the funicular crash found that an underground cable acting as a counterweight between the two tram cars was unsuitable for use and broke.

February 2023: A passenger train in northern Greece carrying hundreds of people collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train, resulting in a fiery wreck that killed 57 people. An investigative report into the crash blamed human error, outdated infrastructure and major systemic failures.

July 2016: Two Italian commuter trains collided head-on between towns in the southern region of Puglia, killing 31 people and injuring scores more. An investigation found an error of communication between the stations that each train had departed from.

July 2013: A commuter train in Spain hurtled off the rails as it came around a bend near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 and injuring 145 others. An investigation showed the train was traveling at 179 kph (111 mph) on a stretch with an 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit when it left the tracks and smashed into a wall.

February 2010: Two commuter trains just outside Brussels slammed into one another during morning rush hour when one ran a red light. In all, 19 people were killed and 171 injured in Belgium's worst train crash.

June 2009: A freight train in Italy carrying gas derailed at the Viareggio station, near the Tuscan city of Lucca, and exploded, killing 32 people. Poorly maintained axles of the train were blamed.

July 2006: A subway train traveling at excessive speed crashed in an underground tunnel in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia, killing 43 people and injuring scores more. It took 13 years for a court to find four managers of the city’s subway system guilty of negligent manslaughter for not taking the necessary safety measures needed to prevent the tragedy.

January 2006: The failure of a braking system on a train in Montenegro caused it to derail and plunge into a ravine outside the capital, Podgorica. The crash killed 45 people, including five children, and injured a further 184. It was the worst train disaster in Montenegro’s history.

November 2000: A cable car on a funicular railway in Austria caught fire in a mountain tunnel in Kaprun, killing 155 people. Those who died were skiers and snowboarders heading to the slopes of the Kitzsteinhorn mountain.

October 1999: A train heading out of London’s Paddington station went through a red light and crashed into an incoming high-speed train, killing 31 people. Around 400 people were injured.

June 1998: A high-speed train in Germany traveling at 200 kph (125 mph) collided with a bridge at Eschede, causing it to collapse. The crash killed 101 people and injured a further 100. It was Germany’s deadliest postwar rail disaster.

FILE - Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on July 24 2013. (AP Photo/La Voz de Galicia/Monica Ferreiros, File)

FILE - Rescuers at the site of a train collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Friday, March 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos, File)