HONG KONG, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Hong Kong student protest leader Joshua Wong has accused police of beating him during his arrest and is considering legal action, his lawyer said.
Wong, 18, was among 116 people arrested Wednesday and was out on bail Thursday, under the condition he does not return to Mong Kok, the area where pro-democracy demonstrators established an encampment.
Wong was arrested on a charge of obstructing a public official while asking workers, who were tearing down a barricade, about their authority to do so. He said police officers struck him repeatedly, targeting his groin, during his arrest.
"For reasons best known to the bailiffs, they called the individuals away ... they then called in police, who removed the obstructions, and then sent in a snatch squad. We are considering the issue of action against the police. We have put on the court record the fact that he has been assaulted," lawyer Michael Vidler told the Guardian.
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"One guy who looked like the leader pointed his finger at me and shouted 'catch him'," Wong said after his release. "Then about 10 police rushed in front of me and pushed me to the ground ... causing me some injuries. I have injuries on my neck and face. They tried to beat me six to seven times and even targeted my private parts."
As he left Kowloon City court Thursday, Wong was pelted with eggs by two bystanders, who police say were arrested and charged with common assault.
Protesters, demanding the Beijing government not involve itself in upcoming Hong Kong elections, still occupy two sites in the city after two months of demonstrations.
