A 24-year-old man who allegedly threw HK$100 (US$13) banknotes from a building in Kowloon’s Sham Shui Po on Saturday was arrested when he returned to the area the following day.
Known as “Coin Young Master” for his links to crypto-currency, Wong Ching-kit was detained for behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place, the Apple Daily reported.
At 3:40 pm on Saturday, a crowd was seen scrambling for the HK$100 notes when they rained down on Fuk Wa Street in Sham Shui Po. The crowd turned into a frenzy as they chased after the banknotes and climbed up to the canopy to pick up the money, leading a chaotic scene.
Before the money rained down, Wong appeared on Fuk Wah Street and said in a Facebook live-stream: “I wonder if any of you believe money could fall from the sky?”
After a few seconds, the camera panned to a building where a man wearing a face mask and cap threw the HK$100 banknotes in six batches. The money was flying down like confetti.
It was understood that many people picked up the banknotes and left. A domestic worker named Rizza picked up three bills and said it was the best Christmas gift.
Police arrived after receiving reports and stopped people picking up the money. They urged those who had picked up the banknotes to hand them to police or else they would have committed theft.
So far, officers recovered HK$6,000 in HK$100 notes and estimated that the number of notes distributed could be worth more than HK$100,000.
On Sunday, Wong announced on Facebook that he would return to Sham Shui Po to hand out meal coupons outside a restaurant.
When Wong arrived at the neighborhood in his Lamborghini, he was quickly surrounded by people. He held a stack of HK$500 bills and distributed the cash. Police arrived and arrested him.
Detective chief inspector Chong Kiu-wai Kevin said he believed Wong orchestrated the stunt on Saturday, which he said led to chaotic scenes and posed a threat to public safety and order, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.
Wong claimed he had made a fortune from crypto-currency.
