A man tried to rob a money exchange shop at Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday evening. The 44-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, holds a Russian passport. It is unclear if he is of Chinese descent.

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The man reportedly went to a money changer at the airport's terminal 2 to rob it. He pulled out a knife, threatened a female staff and demanded her to turn over the cash. When the staff refused, he opened a drawer and took HK$59,000 before running away.

The staff sounded the alarm which alerted the airport's security unit. The man was able to run for about 200 meters before six officers caught up with him outside the Regal Airport Hotel. Two police officers were holding handguns while two had sub-machine guns. 

The commotion gathered onlookers. A viral video showed the man in a cap lying face down on the ground while the officers were yelling "Get down!" in Cantonese. Onlookers can be heard telling the officers to speak English, calling the man a gweilo, a slang used in Hong Kong to pertain to Westerners. 

The man was eventually handcuffed and taken to a police vehicle. Local authorities suspect that the man was supposed to do a planned robbery based on the items they found inside his bag: a knife, gloves, and a surgical mask. 

The cash he took was recovered.

TagsHong Kong International airport, money exchange, Russian, Passport, man, Suspect, Robbery, Cash, officers, Onlookers, police, guns