Man subdued after biting off ear of pro-democracy politician, stabbing four in Hong Kong mall

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A knife-wielding man injured at least four people and bit off part of the ear of a local pro-democracy politician amidst clashes with police at a Hong Kong mall on Sunday, according to local media reports.

Riot police also stormed several malls in Hong Kong in an attempt to limit the pro-democracy protests, as the anti-government movement approaches the five-month mark.

The attack took place at the Cityplaza mall in the Tai Koo district on Hong Kong Island following online messages that urged protesters to meet in seven locations to push forward for political reform.

The unnamed male slasher was subdued by mall passersby following the attack, according to the BBC.

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District councilor Andrew Chiu receives medical treatment in Hong Kong, on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, though violence did break out when a knife-wielding man slashed several people and bit off part of the ear of a local pro-democracy politician. (Elson Li/HK01 via AP)

Among the injured was Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, a local pro-democracy politician whose ear was partially severed in the knife attack. The attacker was seen lunging at Chiu and biting his ear, according to the BBC.

The politician was reportedly trying to stop the attacker from leaving the area. Images after the incident show medical personnel attending to Chiu as his hands and face were in covered blood.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

The below video shows the minutes leading up to the ear-biting encounter.

Another victim, a woman, said that the suspect took out a knife after arguing with her sister and husband, who were also injured, according to the South China Morning Post.

The attacker was reported as being a pro-Beijing supporter, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

Police in riot gear ask a woman to take off her mask outside a train station in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, as the city's leader heads to Beijing for talks on deepening economic integration between the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and mainland China. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Local police say the man told the victims that Hong Kong belongs to China and that Chiu was a pro-democracy politician.

Most of the rallies didn't pan out Sunday as scores of riot police took positions, searching and arresting people, dispersing crowds and blocking access to a park next to the office of the city's embattled leader, Carrie Lam.

Riot police form a line at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, as the city's leader heads to Beijing for talks on deepening economic integration between the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and mainland China. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Some small pockets of hardcore demonstrators were undeterred.

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As protesters chanted slogans at the New Town Plaza shopping mall in Sha Tin, police said they moved in after some "masked rioters" with fire extinguishers vandalized turnstiles and smashed windows at the subway station linked to the mall.

At two malls in the New Territories in the north, protesters vandalized shops, threw paint and attacked a branch of Japanese fast-food chain Yoshinoya, which has been frequently targeted after the chain's owner voiced support for the Hong Kong police.

Police rushed into one of the malls after objects were thrown at them. At another, protesters used umbrellas and cable ties to lock the mall entrance to prevent police from entering.

Later in the day, police stormed the Cityplaza shopping complex on Hong Kong Island after some protesters sprayed graffiti at a restaurant. A human chain by dozens of people was broken up and angry shoppers heckled the police.

A riot police officer fires pepper spray toward people at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, as the city's leader heads to Beijing for talks on deepening economic integration between the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and mainland China. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

The protests began in early June over a now-shelved plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, but have since swelled into a movement seeking other demands, including direct elections for Hong Kong's leaders and an independent inquiry into police conduct.

Lam has refused to budge on the demands and instead has focused on measures that she said contributed to protesters' anger, such as creating jobs and easing housing woes in one of the world's most expensive cities. She invoked emergency powers last month to ban face masks at rallies, provoking further anger.

Her office said Sunday that Lam, currently in Shanghai, will head to Beijing on Tuesday. She is due to hold talks Wednesday with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng and join a meeting on the development of the Greater Bay Area that aims to link Hong Kong, Macao and nine other cities in southern China.

The ambitious project will help make it easier for Hong Kong residents to work and reside in mainland Chinese cities and bolster the flow of people and goods, Lam's office said in a statement.

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But the plan has also sparked concerns over China's growing influence over the territory. Many protesters fear Beijing is slowly infringing on the freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese control in 1997.

The Associated Press contributed to the report