Hong Kong protesters hit the streets as China marks 70 years of Communist rule

A video uploaded by Campus TV, a Hong Kong University student media organization, appears to show the moment a police officer shot a person in Tseun Wan. The video shows black-clad protesters attacking a handful of police officers with metal bars and other weapons.

The video also appears to show the individual striking the police officer with a pole just before the officer deployed his firearm.  A police source confirmed CNN that a man was shot with a live round by police in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon. CNN have approached police for an official statement.  

The protester was later taken away in an ambulance.

Separately, Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said that one male is in critical condition at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung in the New Territories. The Hospital Authority would not comment on the type of injuries of the critical case and would not provide any further information. 

Kwai Chung is the neighboring district to Tseun Wan.

As Hong Kong's young people fight with riot police, tennagers in Beijing are lining up to see the new patriotic blockbuster.

"Me and My Country" is a series of seven short films all with a nationalistic theme, which only just released on September 30.

It has already made $40 million, according to state media.

"The film is considered a gift to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. All the actors performed for free," according to the nationalist tabloid Global Times.

At Global Trading Center in central Beijing, all showings of "Me And My Country" have been sold out until at least 8 p.m.

Many people are reluctant to book after 8 because they want to get home in time to see the fireworks display later in the evening.

15-year-old Jiao Tongyu said he'd already seen the military in the morning, and was now giving up a chance to see the fireworks for "Me and My Country."

"I'm excited to see the movie," he said.

Violent protests are raging across Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. A man has been shot by police -- a major escalation in the 3-month-long protest movement.

If you're just joining us now, here's what you need to know:

Hong Kong's Admiralty district is soaked in blue after police deployed a water cannon spraying blue dye at protesters. Everything is tinted blue -- the streets, the overpass, the street signs.

Riot police are gathered here -- as well as several other districts, with high-intensity wildcat protests raging across the city. There has been escalating violence, as well as multiple arrests.

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority says one male is in critical condition in Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung in the New Territories.

The Hospital Authority would not comment on the type of injuries of the critical case and would not provide any further information. 

A total of 15 people have been taken to hospitals as of 5 p.m. local time, according to a Hospital Authority spokesperson. Two people have already been discharged, and the other 12 injured are in stable conditions.

A man has been shot in the chest with a live round by police, a police source told CNN. His identity and condition are not currently known.

The reported use of a live round during today's protests will further galvanize already angry and violent anti-government demonstrations, as they near their fourth month of continuous unrest. Today's turnout put to bed any suggestion that the movement was losing energy or significant amounts of support, but the use of lethal force by police could see even more take to the streets in coming weeks.

At multiple previous protests, police have pulled out their sidearms and shot in the air or aimed weapons at protesters when they were in fear for their lives.

A police prediction: Last week, a senior police commander told journalists that the force was worried they would soon have to use live rounds on protesters themselves.

"Our officers are worried that the level of violence has got to such a level that they might have to kill someone or be killed themselves," the commander said. "We have been so restrained but in the face of such violence this pressure has become extremely dangerous."

What protesters say: Though it is unclear whether the person shot today was a protester, when asked about the suggestion that officers may end up killing a demonstrator in self-defense, activist Bonnie Leung -- of the Civil Human Rights Front -- said police using real ammunition and guns was "unnecessary and unjustified." Leung added that officers are able to protect themselves in "many different ways."

"They already have the power of arrest, they already have the power to use force, but they are using disproportionate force already. They have the least lethal weapons... They now have rubber bullets, they now have water cannons -- they have everything," she said.

"But what they are doing is that they are not just trying to protect themselves... they are actually doing more than necessary and more than the laws allow them to do in order to anger the protesters even more, and that creates danger."

The victim: The identity of the man shot by police is so far unclear -- as is whether he was a protester or passerby. Previous incidents of alleged police violence have led to the targets becoming icons for the movement, such as a woman hit in the eye by a beanbag round, or a man seen on video being attacked by a large number of police officers.

A police source tells CNN that a man was shot with a live round by police in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district.

It is not known whether the man was a protester, although there have been protests in Tsuen Wan today.

The man’s condition is currently not known. CNN have approached police for an official statement. 

This isn't the first time police have fired a live shot during the protests -- but it's the first injury resulting from one. The previous times, police fired into the air as a warning during violent demonstrations.

Police are making arrests across the city, adding to the hundreds of people who have already been arrested (and largely released on bail) since the protests began three months ago.

The authorities have been increasing the amount of arrests they've been carrying out in recent weeks, with the idea that they will be able to crack down on the radical core of the increasingly-violent protests and stymie the overall movement.

Video footage from local media showed numerous mainly young people being forcibly detained at spots in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. Most were wearing black and came masked and in rudimentary body armor.

In Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui district, large numbers of black-clad protesters and riot police are facing off. Trash cans have been set on fire and placed in front of the closed subway station, and police are firing tear gas on busy thoroughfares.

The police have fired over twenty rounds of tear gas in Tsim Sha Tsui. CNN saw protesters throw petrol bombs as they retreated back down the main road following the tear gas deployment.

Lines of riot police are now advancing toward the protesters. Watch it here: