A shop employee at Kwai Chung Plaza was filmed beating a suspected thief with a folding stool in a case of alleged vigilantism, with netizens questioning whether the use of force was excessive, according to online footage.
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The CCTV video, uploaded to social media on May 10, appears to show a man in glasses, believed to be a shop employee, pinning a bald man holding a stuffed toy against a claw machine and shouting at him. The employee repeatedly struck the bald man with a folding stool.
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The bald man then broke free and ran down the shopping mall corridor, but tripped and fell. The employee caught up and a struggle ensued, with the employee pressing the bald man against a metal shop shutter, causing it to dent. Despite being hit, the bald man continued to hold onto two stuffed toys.
The employee shouted again and struck the bald man's head with the stool at least twice before the bald man fled. The employee chased after him. The footage ends without showing the outcome or any injuries.
Online reactions were mixed, with some questioning the use of a stool as a weapon. Others noted the employee struck the man with the metal side of the stool, which could be life-threatening, arguing that even catching a thief does not justify deadly violence.
