Officers from the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office were patrolling at the cooked food center of Pei Ho Street Market at around 10 am when they found a staffer of one of the hawkers, named Wong, smoking there.

They approached the 61-year-old man and requested him to hand over his identity card to issue him with a penalty ticket.

Wong, provoked by the officers’ attempt to enforce the law, grew furious and grabbed a knife. He started swinging the knife, yelling and screaming, and scaring other customers in the area.

After receiving the report, cops carrying shields and batons arrived, only to find that Wong had already calmed down.

The case was listed as a dispute case, and no arrest was made.

It is understood that Wong works in a dai pai dong there – an open-air food stall popular throughout the city.