HÀ NỘI — The investigative police of the capital city’s Hai Bà Trưng District on Tuesday took into custody two suspects in connection with the assault of a foreigner and began criminal investigation into the case.

A video clip posted on social media and a number of online newspapers on Sunday showed a scuffle taking place between a male foreigner and two Vietnamese men in front of house No 421 on the district’s Trần Khát Chân Street on Friday afternoon.

Nguyễn Duy Khánh, 26, and Doãn Văn Cường, 29, both residing in Hà Nội, are suspected to have assaulted the foreigner.

The victim, identified as M.G, 27, from the United States of America, was driving his girlfriend home on a Yamaha Taurus motorbike when a Toyota Corolla car, driven by Nguyễn Duy Khánh in the same direction, moved up from the left and went over his left foot.

G signaled by hand for Khánh to move his car, but when the car did not budge, he tapped on the rearview mirror on the passenger side and said “Move it.”

Hearing the tap, Khánh opened the door on his side and stepped out of the car. Still sitting on his motorbike, G was trying to pull one of his sandals from under the car’s wheel when Khánh suddenly came over to him. With one hand Khánh pushed G away and with the other punched him in the face, breaking his nose and pushing him off his motorbike.

The motorbike lost balance and fell on Khánh’s car. This infuriated Khánh further, who continued hitting G in the face while G’s girlfriend and locals tried to stop Khánh.

Doãn Văn Cường, a friend of Khánh, also appeared at the scene, parked his motorbike in front of Khánh’s car and began beating Gulian upon hearing Khánh say the foreigner was trying to smash his car’s mirror.

G’s girlfriend, N.H.G, 25, from Hoàng Mai District, was hit on the head by Khánh while she was trying to stop him from hitting G.

The American victim tried to cover his girlfriend with a helmet, but Khánh snatched it from him. Cường was about to hit him with a brick when a patrol group of the district police reached the spot and intervened.

The three men subsequently left the spot despite the police suggesting they go to the police headquarters to resolve the incident. G was on Monday taken by the police to the Thanh Nhàn Hospital for medical examination.

The case was considered by the police as intentional infliction of injuries resulting from a traffic collision. — VNS