Mentally ill doctor dies after naked frenzy on busy road

Stacy Shi

A 30-year-old doctor died on the way to hospital after stunning pedestrians and shocking drivers by lying naked on a busy thoroughfare in Sham Shui Po.

Sources said the man, Chan, had been a public hospital doctor in Hong Kong before he became addicted to drugs and suffered from mental illness.

Police were alerted around 3 pm on Monday to Chan's wandering around Lai Chi Kok Road, sitting on the pavement, and lying near the middle of the road, all the while naked.

Video footage showed Chan running and shouting, and passersby and those waiting for buses opting to give him plenty of room.

Officers came upon Chan as he was heading for Cheung Sha Wan on the road itself.

They repeatedly asked him to return to the pavement, but he rebuffed them and exhibited agitated behavior and spoke incoherently. He even tried to run across the road but was stopped by the police in time.

A policeman tried at one stage to use a black plastic bag to make him decent to no avail.

He was subdued and cuffed, but suffered bruises on his body when he resisted.

He fell into a coma while being taken to Caritas Medical Centre and was declared dead on arrival.

The exact cause of his death is pending the results of a post-mortem.

Chan is understood to have been working as an assistant at a temple.

He is suspected of developing a drug habit about five years ago, which subsequently led to mental health issues and ultimately resulted in his resignation from the hospital.

Another naked incident involved a woman opposite Wai Fung Plaza on Nathan Road in Mong Kok on Tuesday.

She was holding a cardboard sign with Chinese above her head.

She later appeared at Mong Kok MTR station, where staff covered her with a blanket and reported to the police.

She was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and medical staff assisted in contacting her family.

The incident was treated as a case involving an individual with a suspected mental disorder.