The officers, wearing green camo suits and thick, black, bulletproof vests, have not been swayed by the outpouring of disgust at the scene. Instead, they have blamed the pre-teen, claiming she took part in an illegal gathering and that she "ran away in a suspicious manner"
HONG KONG POLICE ARREST DOZENS OF PROTESTERS AS GOVERNMENT DELAYS ELECTIONS: REPORT
The girl's family disputes the allegations and said she was out buying supplies with her 20-year-old brother and became scared when confronted by heavily armed police officers.
The girl, who is being identified only as "Pamela" to protect her identity, told i-Cable news, "The streets were cut off by police cordons so we had to double back to meet our family... but the police suddenly ran towards us. I was scared. They told us to stand still, but I panicked so I ran."
Her brother added he and his sister intended to contest the fine they had been issued for breaching social distancing rules.
"We were just walking by, so there was no reason for the police to come after us," he said.
Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy legislator, said the actions that were taken against Pamela show "how unnecessarily jumpy [and] trigger-happy Hong Kong police have become," The Guardian reported.