A mobile phone brand chain shop in Cotai suffered about 300,000 patacas worth of damage after a man smashed its glass entrance with a brick and another hard object on Sunday, with the suspect leaving Macau shortly afterwards, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Chao, the Judiciary Police were notified by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) at about 12:45 p.m. on Sunday that the glass entrance to a large mobile phone chain shop at a hotel in Cotai had been damaged.
An investigation showed that the suspect, a shirtless man from the Chinese mainland, arrived outside the shop at about 12:25 p.m. and took a brick from his backpack before repeatedly striking the glass door. After the brick broke, he took out a long, hard object and continued smashing the door.
Chao said the entire incident lasted less than five minutes and caused serious damage to the glass entrance, with the shop management estimating its losses at about 300,000 patacas.
Police subsequently identified the suspect and checked immigration records, confirming that he had left Macau shortly after the incident.
Chao did not disclose further details about the suspect, such as which border checkpoint he used to leave Macau or his motive for the violent incident, saying such information formed part of the ongoing investigation.
The suspect faces a charge of aggravated damage, Chao said, pointing out that he faces up to 10 years behind bars.
Video footage circulating on social media shows that the incident happened at the Apple shop at The Londoner in Cotai.
The Judiciary Police urged members of the public to settle disputes through rational and lawful channels and refrain from committing criminal offences on impulse, stressing that the authorities will crack down on property-related crimes in accordance with the law to maintain public order and security.
This screen capture from a video circulating on social media shows the man smashing the phone shop entrance with a hard object.
