A passerby called police at 10:14 p.m. after spotting the 36-year-old acting suspiciously in a back alley at 213 Shanghai Street with what appeared to be a handgun, the South China Morning Post reported.
He then walked into a bar at 192 Temple Street still holding the object, prompting the bar’s operator to call police as well, according to Sing Tao Daily.
The street is home to what Time Out calls Hong Kong’s most famous night market.
Officers in ballistic vests and helmets, including members of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, rushed to the scene. Images circulating online showed some officers carrying guns and standing guard at a stairwell.
Police found the man in the bar, seized a pistol-style air gun and arrested him on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm. He smelled of alcohol at the time, a source familiar with the case told the SCMP. No one was hurt.
While he was held at Yau Ma Tei Police Station, the man allegedly became agitated and damaged a wall and a smoke detector, Sing Tao reported.
Police then arrested him a second time, on suspicion of criminal damage. The Yau Tsim district crime investigation team is handling the case.
Possession of an imitation firearm carries up to two years in prison under Hong Kong’s Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance, while criminal damage is punishable by up to 10 years under the Crimes Ordinance.