A teenager fell from the rooftop balcony of a Hong Kong restaurant early on Christmas Day, after police searched the premises looking for anti-government protesters.

Videos circulating online showed the 16-year-old using both hands to hang onto the wall of the building in Mong Kok, before he fell into a park next door.

He was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital suffering from hand and leg injuries, and a medical source said he was in stable condition.

A police source said the teenager, surnamed Sin, had been drinking before he fell.

On Christmas Eve, violent clashes broke out in various parts of the city, including in Mong Kok, where a stand-off between protesters and police on Nathan Road continued into the early hours of Wednesday.

Tear gas and pepper balls were fired by police after protesters blocked major roads, vandalised banks and threw petrol bombs at police vehicles.

At about 2am, dozens of riot police appeared on Portland Street near the junction of Cheung Sha Street, and some entered the Jie Genge Taiwanese restaurant. Moments later, videos captured the teenager falling from the restaurant’s balcony.

A first-aider who witnessed the incident said he saw a man dressed in grey holding onto the edge of the restaurant’s rooftop, before he suddenly fell with a loud bang, while another first-aider told reporters police had fired pepper balls before the teenager fell.

In a Facebook post, police denied using any force inside the restaurant, and said a staff member had been arrested for obstructing officers, while another two men inside were arrested for offences including unlawful assembly, theft and not having valid identification document during the search.