Graphic security footage was released on Friday showing scenes of the incident on social media, sparking national outrage and sparking heated online discussions about the safety and rights of women in China.
Time-lapse surveillance footage circulating widely online shows a man entering a barbecue restaurant around 2:40 a.m. local time, Friday, and passing a woman sitting and eating with their mates. The man is seen approaching one of the women and putting his hand on her back, before she grabs him by the wrist and pulls him away.
The woman can be heard questioning him, according to surveillance images. After the woman’s resistance, the man responds by slapping her in the face.
A fight breaks out between the two, according to surveillance footage. The woman tries to push him away trying to hit him with a glass bottle.
Surveillance footage shows the woman’s friends trying to stop the fight and being beaten by the man, as well as by a group of other men who rush into the restaurant.
In the footage, several women can be seen punching, kicking, grabbing and dragging their hair to the ground.
The graphic video showing the battered women sparked a national protest for women’s safety. After the video was made public, Tangshan police released a statement on Friday afternoon saying they had identified the suspects and were looking for them.
In another statement issued on Friday, Tangshan police said two women had been sent to hospital after being attacked and were in stable condition, while two other women suffered minor injuries.
On Saturday, local police sent an update saying they had arrested the nine suspects, including seven men and their two companions. The update said the two women victims who had suffered non-life-threatening injuries were being treated at the hospital and were in stable condition.
The incident was widely reported on Chinese social media over the weekend and caused public outrage in the country. Some people online question the safety of women in China, while others discuss systemic violence against women in the country.
Provincial authorities ordered that the criminal investigation into the case be relocated to Langfang, an independent city in Hebei Province, according to a statement from Langfang police on Saturday afternoon.
This movement usually happens when the investigation is sensitive or important, or when the cases involve gang-related crimes and local reception should be avoided.