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PART III THE DISTURBANCES
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161. Meanwhile at 11.53 p.m. Emergency Unit Car No. 8, on patrol to the ning north, reported that it was under attack at the junction of Soy Street and Nathan een Road. The vehicle was manned by an N.C.O. and three constables. It became ntly trapped in a traffic jam between buses and road works and at 11.50 p.m. a noisy in and hostile crowd of some 400 rioters approached from the south and when they saw the car they shouted, 'Burn the car and stone them'. Immediately the crowd started to throw stones, breaking the driver's window and setting fire to some said wooden barriers ripped from adjacent roadworks. Orders to desist were ignored. ɔme The N.C.O. positioned his men round the vehicle to defend it and ordered them to fire if they were in any danger. About a dozen rioters followed by numerous hangers-on rushed the car shouting, 'Burn them. The police dare not shoot us. hey Burn the vehicle'. A warning from the N.C.O. not to come closer was ignored and he fired one shot at the knees of the ringleaders. They stopped about 40 or dis. 50 feet away and then came on with stones and poles. The N.C.O. fired two shots and the radio officer fired one shot at the knees of the ringleaders. The crowd now withdrew although they continued to throw stones. In all five rounds of in't revolver ammunition had been fired. No casualties were observed at the time, but subsequently it appeared that one youth had been hit in the leg. The car had asked, by radio, for assistance and Mr. SUTCLIFFE had ordered the Sham Shui Po company to the scene shortly after midnight. It proceeded by Waterloo Road, Yim Po Fong Street and Shantung Street and reported back that progress was impeded by extensive road blocks in Nathan Road near Shantung Street and traffic jams.
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162. But the Marine company was in the vicinity, having been instructed by Mr. Rose, when it reached the Waterloo Road junction to continue northward in the direction of Mong Kok. Following these instructions, Mr. RINGER moved north nt'. up Nathan Road. There was, he said, a great deal of noise at the time and crowds mainly young people between 15 and 25 years of age-throwing bottles and an- bricks, from the side streets, piling up rubbish and making fires as well as building >w barriers by using planks, bus signs, road signs and big cable drums. Tear smoke was used at some of the intersections but, whilst this would disperse the crowds of for a time, they quickly reformed. Stones and planks were coming down from the rds high buildings. At 11.45 p.m. he had Nos. 1 and 3 platoons on the west side of .m. Nathan Road facing Mong Kok and No. 2 on the east side in the vicinity of the et, Pitt Street junction and all were soon heavily engaged with crowds who were me throwing bottles and stones, setting up barriers and lighting fires. The eastern left carriageway was blocked with empty buses. Crowds were milling around and ng windows in the buses were being broken. Tear smoke failed to disperse the crowds. At about midnight, Mr. Rose instructed Mr. RINGER to use firearms to at disperse a large crowd in front of one of the platoons on the west side of the the Nathan Road and Hamilton Street area. The carbine section was called up and
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presented their carbines at the crowd, which retreated temporarily but reformed again. Shots were not, however, fired at this point. Instructions were now received