Africans clash with cops

By Cyril Li  |   2009-7-16  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

MORE than 100 Africans stormed a police station yesterday afternoon in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, after one African man reportedly died after jumping off a building to escape a passport check by police.

The victim jumped from a height of 18 meters and died, which sparked the clash at a police station in Baiyun District, Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday.

The incident stemmed from a surprise passport check by police about two hours earlier.

The checks led to a brawl between police and Africans who failed to show their passports, Xinhua news agency quoted some protesters as saying.

Some protesters said one African died, others said two died.

Guangzhou's Public Security Bureau said in a press release last night that officers went to check the passports of the Africans on the second floor of the Tangqi Garment Shopping Mall in Yuexiu District about 2:50pm.

An unidentified African man broke windows and cut his back when he was escaping from policemen, the bureau said.

Officers said the man was involved in illegal foreign exchange business. Police later found another man was critically injured after falling from the building. The two were rushed to hospital.