Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire / Jinhua traffic police
This is the moment a “bored” Chinese man who has been “cooped up at home for too long” sprints headlong into fast-moving traffic while playing chicken with cars and lorries inside a motorway tunnel.
The pedestrian, named only as Mr Hu, 28, ended the stunt completely unharmed after being pursued and subdued by traffic officers in the city of Jinhua in East China’s Zhejiang Province.
CCTV footage from the Yiwu-Dongyang Expressway shows Mr Hu running away from a police car which has stopped near him on the hard shoulder.
He climbs over the central reservation and begins running into oncoming traffic before attempting to kick a bus as it exits the motorway tunnel nearby.
During the sprint which the authorities said lasted for nearly 1 mile, Mr Hu can be seen dashing towards oncoming cars, with motorists braking and swerving away at the last second to avoid a collision.
The shocking clip also shows Mr Hu running towards two approaching lorries but somehow escaping unharmed as they manage to avoid slamming right into him.
Pursuing police officers are then seen tackling Mr Hu as the video ends.
Arresting officer Zhao Changzhou told local media: “I was on patrol when our control centre said drivers had reported a pedestrian on the motorway.
“I hadn’t even parked before the man ran to the opposite side of the motorway into oncoming traffic. At the tunnel entrance, his actions became more extreme.
“A bus was exiting the tunnel. He ran over to it but continued into the tunnel when the bus managed to avoid him.
“He zigzagged between the three lanes and stopped a few cars, many of which were travelling fast and at risk of a rear-end collision.
“Then a small lorry and a heavy goods vehicle approached. He opened his arms and jumped towards them.
“I felt at the moment there would likely be a crash, but the drivers appeared to be very experienced, braking just ahead of him.
“We sealed off the tunnel and I tackled him.
“The suspect told us he had been cooped up at home for too long – and that he was bored.
“He thought the motorway looked fun, so he decided to go for a spin.”
Mr Hu was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident, but he continues to be examined at a local hospital, the police said.
Following an extended Chinese New Year holiday as a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Chinese business sectors were cleared to slowly restart in the middle of February.
Sit-down restaurants remain closed, as do schools and universities, which are now conducting lessons remotely online.
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