Second bar worker surrenders in Tsim Sha Tsui death
Bastillepost · 5 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A second suspect in the Tsim Sha Tsui bar death case surrendered at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station on 24 September, adding to the earlier arrest of a 28-year-old male bar worker. Police said a 49-year-old man was found unconscious on Hanoi Road in the early hours and was later certified dead at the scene, with the cause of death still under investigation. Investigators believe he had collapsed inside a bar before being moved outside by two staff members, and officers later seized suspected crack cocaine, drug-taking paraphernalia and HK$82,000 in cash from the bar. Some reports said the man may have injected drugs before his death, but police have not announced a confirmed cause of death.
Key Points
- Police received a report at about 1:38am on 24 September that a 49-year-old man surnamed Lai was unconscious outside 1 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, and he was certified dead at the scene.
- Initial police findings said the man had apparently collapsed inside a bar in the area before two bar employees moved him onto the street.
- A 28-year-old male bar employee was arrested on suspicion of preventing lawful burial of a body, operating a drug den, trafficking in dangerous drugs and failing to produce proof of identity.
- Police said they seized about 50 grams of suspected crack cocaine, suspected drug-taking tools including an “ice pot”, and about HK$82,000 in cash from the bar.
- The other suspect, a 44-year-old female bar worker surnamed Cheung, surrendered at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station around midday on 24 September after earlier being sought by police.
Why It Matters
The case now centres on two parallel questions for Hong Kong readers: how the man died, and whether the bar was being used for drug activity. The surrender of the second suspect may help investigators reconstruct the timeline inside the bar and test accounts given to police before the body was left on the street.