Police surround Wong Tai Sin flat after woman reportedly seen with knife in area

Hong Kong police were attempting to forcibly enter a flat in the Wong Tai Sin estate on Sunday night following a report of a woman, believed to be carrying a knife, seen wandering in the vicinity. The woman in her forties was reportedly traced to the Ching Fai House at Tsz Ching Estate during a search. Police received the suspicious activity notification around 6:50 PM, which originated from the Diamond Hill MTR station leading towards the Plaza Hollywood shopping center.

Over a dozen Emergency Unit officers were deployed to the scene and began searching the area, including the mall, under the supervision of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit. However, no suspect was initially identified. The woman is suspected of using an eight-inch knife to repeatedly slash at a customer service counter at Diamond Hill station before proceeding towards Plaza Hollywood.

After scrutinizing CCTV footage, police later pinpointed her location to Ching Fai House. As of 10 PM, more than ten officers in tactical gear and wielding shields were stationed at the flat’s lobby. The area is a place of recent tragedy: Plaza Hollywood experienced a fatal knife attack in June 2023, during which two women were killed by a man with a history of mental illness, causing widespread shock in the city.