Society

Dozens injured in wild street brawl

By Ma Lie and Guo Anfei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-29 07:44

KUNMING - Dozens of people were injured and 10 vehicles were overturned during a wild brawl between urban management officers and hundreds of residents in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

A total of 40 people suspected of involvement in the brawl have been detained for investigation, a police officer surnamed Li said.

According to officials, the conflict began after an urban management team discovered some street vendors doing business without permission in the city's Wuhua district at about 20:15 pm on Friday. The officers attempted to fine the vendors and close the businesses.

However, Yang Shengxiu, 56, one of the street vendors, refused to accept the punishment and when officers seized her tricycle, she fell down to the ground and tried to wrestle it back, Li Yingjie, deputy director of Wuhua district, said at a press conference on Saturday.

An angry crowd began to gather on the street after a rumor spread among local businesses that the officers had killed Yang Shengxiu, the deputy director said.

Li said urban management officers reported the incident to police at 20:35 pm and called emergency 120 for Yang.

The crowd of residents then started to attack the urban management officers and police. Nine urban management vehicles and a police car were overturned. The windows of three police cars were broken. Nine urban management officials as well as four police were injured, according to Li.

Police seized 40 people accused of conducting "attacks and arson", Li said. Order was restored at 2 am on Saturday.