Chaos unfolds in customs officer knife attack: Blood-stained corridor and ransacked flat exposed

A chaotic and violent scene emerged in To Kwa Wan as three customs officers were slashed during an anti-drug operation on Thursday afternoon. The suspect, armed with a kitchen knife, wounded the officers before barricading himself inside the flat and escaping through a window.

When reporters revisited the crime scene at Honour Building on Friday morning, traces of the confrontation were still evident.

Blood stains were found on the floor of the elevator lobby on the fifth floor, while the targeted unit was sealed with a metal chain and had its wooden door smashed.

Inside, the flat was in complete disarray — overturned storage boxes, scattered debris, and broken wooden panels filled the corridor. At the rear of the unit, an unlocked window grille and an open window hinted at the suspect’s escape route through the airwell.

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The attack took place at around 5.09pm Thursday, when officers entered a unit at 80 To Kwa Wan Road to conduct a drug raid.

According to police, the suspect suddenly turned violent, seizing a kitchen knife and attacking the customs officers. He then locked himself inside the apartment before fleeing.

Three customs officers were injured in the assault — a 29-year-old inspector suffered a 4-centimetre cut on his left knee; a 42-year-old senior officer sustained two 10-centimetre wounds on his right hand; and a 36-year-old officer was slashed on his right hand, left knee, and right leg, each around 10 centimetres long. All three were conscious when sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.

Police tactical and counter-terrorism units were deployed to the scene, breaking down the door after receiving a distress call from customs. Officers later found a suspected blood-stained kitchen knife in a rear staircase.

A police source said officers also discovered suspected drugs and five imitation firearms inside the flat. The West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit is now leading the investigation and has launched a citywide manhunt for the suspect — described as a 38-year-old man, about 1.75 to 1.8 metres tall, wearing a black T-shirt, green shorts, and black sneakers at the time of the attack.

Following the assault, customs and police searched a mini storage facility in the district, uncovering a large quantity of suspected heroin. Investigators believe the case is linked to a wider drug trafficking network. The suspect’s private car was later found parked at a nearby residential car park, where plainclothes officers were stationed overnight.

At around 1am Friday, detectives from the West Kowloon Crime Unit and Emergency Unit officers intercepted a white seven-seater vehicle outside Sino Centre on Nathan Road, Mong Kok, arresting the male driver on suspicion of assisting the attacker. The arrested man was not the main suspect, who remains on the run.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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