Tuen Mun man flees FEHD officers after dropping cigarette butt
A man in Tuen Mun was caught on video fleeing from Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers after allegedly dropping a cigarette butt. The department said it would seek police assistance to complete the investigation and enforcement.
A man in Tuen Mun was caught on video fleeing from Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers after allegedly dropping a cigarette butt, in an incident that has drawn widespread attention online.
An 11-second video circulating on social media on Sunday shows a man dressed in black being stopped by FEHD officers on a street in Tuen Mun before suddenly sprinting away across the road. The footage, which did not show the date, captures officers chasing the man and shouting 'Stop! Don't move!' but he ignored them and escaped to the opposite side of the road.
The uploader of the video said the man had dropped a cigarette butt and became emotional, telling officers there was no bin nearby. Many netizens noted that his face was clearly captured on the video, suggesting it would be difficult for him to evade identification.
The FEHD said that on Sunday morning, a senior foreman on duty in the Sham Po Road area of Tuen Mun saw a man discarding a cigarette butt, suspected of violating the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation, and prepared to issue a fixed penalty notice. The man refused to cooperate and fled the scene.
The department said it would seek police assistance to complete the investigation and enforcement. Under the regulation, littering offences carry a fixed penalty of HK$1,500.