Hong Kong Taxi Driver Denies Deliberately Ramming into Protest Crowd
The civil litigation stems from an October 6, 2019, collision in Sham Shui Po. Park Hoi-lam, a kindergarten clerk who suffered severe injuries in the incident, accused Cheng of intentionally steering his taxi into demonstrators and bystanders. Taking the witness stand on Friday, Cheng pushed back against the multimillion-dollar claim, maintaining that his actions behind the wheel were the result of a physical attack rather than a deliberate assault on pedestrians.
The high-stakes civil action highlights the lingering legal and financial fallout from the social unrest that gripped Hong Kong in 2019.
Testimony and Counter-Claims in Sham Shui Po Collision
Park Hoi-lam filed the lawsuit seeking HK$8.4 million (US$1.07 million) in damages for the debilitating injuries sustained during the evening clash in Sham Shui Po.
Taking the stand in his defense, Cheng offered a sharply contrasting version of events. He stated that a crowd had surrounded his vehicle and that individuals physically assaulted him before the taxi lurged forward. Cheng insisted that the loss of vehicular control stemmed directly from the violence directed at him inside the cabin, negating any allegation of premeditated harm.