Concerning a knife attack that occurred on Monday, a local man has been arrested for attempted murder and bodily harm, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leong Kuok Hei said during a regular press conference yesterday.
The attacker is a 41-year-old man surnamed Tong.
According to Leong, Tong entered Macau through the Qingmao checkpoint on Monday at 1:30 p.m. He then wandered aimlessly through several districts before arriving in Rua do Campo (水坑尾街). Ten minutes before the attack, he randomly slapped a male passerby on the back of his head. A few minutes later, he purchased a fruit knife measuring 22 cm in length with a 9 cm blade from a nearby supermarket. At around 5 p.m., he entered the nearby China Telecom shop armed with the knife and launched a sudden attack.
Tong first stabbed a male staff member in the upper left arm. When another male staff member attempted to intervene, Tong struck him on the right side of his neck. During the ensuing melee, the three male staff members retreated to a storage room behind the counter to seek refuge. Tong tried to force his way into the storage room but was unsuccessful, and the fruit knife he was holding became stuck between the door frame and the door and finally fell to the ground.
Tong then tried to drag a female staff member out of the shop, but she managed to break free. He then shouted at her to leave the shop. Meanwhile, employees of the shop, as well as witnesses, contacted the police.
The Public Security Police (PSP) received the report and quickly arrived at the scene to subdue Tong, who was later handed over to the Judiciary Police (PJ) for further investigation. The two injured staff members were immediately taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre and the private Kiang Wu Hospital, respectively.
One of the injured staff members suffered an 18 cm laceration on the right side of the neck, extending to the back, which required over 100 stitches during surgery but did not damage any blood vessels or nerves, but he has no life-threatening condition, Leong underlined. The other injured staff member has a 2.5 cm skin laceration on the left upper arm, and his condition is stable.
Leong noted that Tong’s mental condition is unstable and that he was unable to complete his interrogation by the police. Tong’s drug tests were negative. There was not immediate information about medical records concerning Tong’s mental state or any prior mental health history, pending the outcome of a psychiatric report that is being conducted. According to Leong, there is no record of any disputes between Tong and the shop.
Tong is currently being held at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for further psychiatric evaluation. Leong said that Tong faces attempted murder and bodily harm charges.
This undated handout photo provided by Judiciary Police (PJ) displays a fruit knife used in the attack, measuring 22 cm in total length with a blade length of 9 cm.
