Man hijacks taxi, drives wrong way through tunnel in Yuen Long, arrested after crash

A 43-year-old man hijacked a taxi in Yuen Long early on Tuesday, claiming he was being chased by attackers, before driving the taxi the wrong way through Cheung Ching Tunnel and crashing into a barrier, police said.

The man boarded the taxi near Yuen Long MTR station around 1.23am. When the taxi reached YOHO Town, he shouted that he was being chased, jumped from the back seat to the front and ordered the driver out. He then drove the taxi along Route 3 towards Kowloon via Tai Lam Tunnel.

Witnesses said the taxi crossed double white lines and swerved erratically. When the Cheung Ching Tunnel was operating single-tube two-way traffic, the taxi suddenly switched to the right lane near the Kowloon exit and drove against oncoming traffic, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a bus. The taxi crashed into a barrier at the tunnel exit, damaging its right side and front.

Police found the suspect sitting passively in the driver's seat when they arrived. No attackers were found, and police believe the man may have been suffering from hallucinations.

The suspect, who holds a registration card for people with disabilities (white card), had only an expired private car licence and no taxi licence. He was arrested for taking a vehicle without authority, driving without a licence, driving without third-party insurance and dangerous driving.

No injuries were reported. Traffic on Cheung Ching Tunnel was severely congested following the incident.

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