Editor’s Note: This story was originally shared with an image from another news event, and has since been updated.
Hong Kong is entering its fourth day of unprecedented subway closures after a weekend of destructive protests in the wake of new emergency legislation left the city reeling.
Anti-government protesters rampaged throughout parts of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island Sunday, targeting subway stations and Chinese-linked businesses, many of which had shut in advance but were nevertheless attacked and vandalized, with police struggling to keep up.
A small number of protesters also targeted a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) barracks in the area, causing police to hold up signs warning them to disperse, a concerning escalation against the Chinese military which has largely kept a back seat during four months of anti-government protests.
The unrest took another dark turn when a driver mowed down protesters with a taxi cab was subsequently beaten bloody by a mob, video shows. Thousands had taken to the streets Sunday to participate in two marches against a recent measure banning people from wearing face masks at public gatherings.
The law, enacted by Chief Executive Carrie Lam using colonial-era emergency powers, has stoked a swift backlash among protesters and worries about a crackdown on civil liberties.
The incident involving the taxi cab was one of the most violent the city has seen during the protest movement, which began peacefully but has seen protesters increasingly use violence and vandalism. The unrest is now entering its 18th week.
Video uploaded to social media shows one of Hong Kong’s red taxi cabs, driving slowly in a sea of black-clad protesters, turning left and accelerating into the crowd.
Several other images and video in local media show what appeared to be the aftermath: A man, bloodied and battered, being hit and kicked while on the ground next to the taxi. In one of the videos, a few people could be seen attempting to intervene to help him and stop the mob from further harming him. A police source told CNN the driver was unconscious when he was rescued.
CNN could not immediately confirm the circumstances that led to this incident.
The Hong Kong Hospital Authority said four people were sent to the hospital in the aftermath. One has left and three are in serious condition, including the taxi driver, the hospital authority said.