Girl, 12, brutally tackled to ground by Hong Kong riot cops while buying school supplies amid latest protest crackdown
DISTURBING footage has captured the moment a 12-year-old girl was tackled to the ground by cops in Hong Kong.
The youngster was chased by riot police before she was wrestled to the pavement while she was out buying school supplies.
After being shoved to the ground, horrified onlookers shouted in anger as she struggled and one of the police officers pinned her down.
Her mum said she was just out shopping for art school supplies before she was pursued by officers.
Hong Kong police confirmed the arrest, claiming officers used “minimum necessary force” to detain her after she was seen running in a “suspicious manner”.
She was held near a pro-democracy protest where nearly 300 people were arrested on Sunday.
The protests were over the government’s decision to postpone elections to Hong Kong’s parliament by a year, claiming it was “necessary” in the coronavirus pandemic.
Activists, who first began protesting in the city last year, claim the government was using the outbreak to stop people from voting.
The video shot on Sunday afternoon shows the girl running through a crowd away from two police officers who were telling her to stand still.
Another police officer runs out in front of her, knocking the girl to the ground before pinning her to the floor.
As the crowd began shouting at the rough officers, one of the other policemen ushers them to step back and tries to block the incident from view.
Local media say the girl and her older brother were later treated in hospital for light injuries.
Police issued them and a passer-by with penalty tickets for breaking social distancing rules that ban gatherings of more than two people.
The girl, who local media are only identifying as “Pamela” said she lived nearby and was buying school supplies.
She told i-Cable news: “The streets were cut off by police cordons so we had to double back to meet our family… but the police suddenly ran towards us. I was scared.
“They told us to stand still, but I panicked so I ran.
“Her brother added that they both intended to contest the fine they had been given for breaching social distancing rules.
“We were just walking by, so there was no reason for the police to come after us.”
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Her mum was buying groceries at the time but was furious at how her daughter and son were treated by police.
Following an investigation, police determined that “she and other protesters at the scene were participating in a prohibited group gathering” and breaching coronavirus regulations, so they were given penalty tickets.
The police added that they were “concerned about youngsters participating in prohibited group” gatherings.