Sixteen suspects were arrested on charges of beating guards and smashing equipment during a riot last week at a park in Guangzhou, the capital city of southern China's Guangdong Province, the municipal public security bureau announced on Tuesday.
Police are still hunting for other suspects from the mob fight. But they did not reveal how many suspects they estimated were at large.
According to Guangzhou Daily, at around 4:52 a.m. on April 7, 40-50 people carrying guns, machetes, spears, iron rods and harpoons rushed into the Grand World Scenic Park to attack guards and smash equipment there.
At least five guards were injured. One of them was shot. Four of the injured remain under hospital care, according to the Grand World Scenic Park Co., Ltd., the owner of the pleasure ground.
The company said that the mob fled the scene after more than one hour of rioting.
Police said the incident was ignited by economic disputes between the Grand World Scenic Park Co., Ltd. and a local investment management company named Yongshida. The park's owner said the investment management firm grabbed its assets and defaulted fees for water, power and back rent totaling about 1 million yuan (146,413 U.S. dollars).
Police suspect the Yongshida company organized the riot.
(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2009)