Vendors charged for attacking Chengguan with steel tubes

Prosecutors filed formal charges of disrupting public order against five street vendors who attacked urban management officers in suburban Jiuting Town in Songjiang District, the Songjiang People's Procuratorate said recently.

Around 8:50pm on July 7, a watermelon vendor surnamed Dong along with several other vendors gathered at the crossing of North Huting and Laifang roads and attacked three urban management vehicles with steel tubes as they passed by, officials said.

One officer was injured and the vehicles were damaged. The value of the loss amounted to 3,754 yuan (US$618.31). The incident caused hundreds to gather at the spot.

One suspect surnamed Kong confessed that he had been angry about the enforcement actions of the urban management officers and decided to join the watermelon vendor in planning the attack. Another vendor who joined the attack said the officers once confiscated his goods.

On the day of attack, the urban management officers were passing by and not on law-enforcement tasks.