A traffic police detachment was assaulted by local people from Friday afternoon to early Saturday morning after the death of a motorcyclist in China's southern city of Shenzhen, the city's public security bureau said.

In part of a unified action to crack down upon motor vehicles in illegal business operation, Shiyan subdistrict office of the city's Bao'an District set up a check station along the Baoshi East Road on Friday morning.

At about 9:20 a.m., 31-year-old man Li Guochao drove an unlicensed motorcycle with a passenger on the backseat was stopped. After the passenger got off, Li geared up and rushed past the checkpoint.

He turned around at a crossroad and drove back on the other side of the road. A check station worker surnamed Lai from the subdistrict office crossed the guardrail in the middle of the road and tried to block Li.

Seeing the motorcyclist ignored him, Lai threw his interphone to Li, who lost control of his motorcycle, crashed to a lamppost and was injured seriously.

Other staff of the subdistrict office called the police and rushed Li to a neighborhood hospital, but Li died with futile medical efforts at about 12:30 p.m., according to police investigation.

The police authority clarified that there were no police officers at the check station at that time. Only a traffic policeman was on duty 300 meters away.

However, the relatives of Li thought that the vehicle checking had been organized by the Shiyan traffic police detachment. They called together more than 30 people to the police detachment at around 1:00 p.m. and blocked the gate.

At 2:30 p.m., the relatives of the dead motorcyclist carried Li's body to this police station, smashed things and set off firecrackers.

As of 5:00 p.m. Friday, more than 400 people gathered at the police detachment and over 2,000 people watched nearby. Some people threw in stones and set fire to a police car.

After the accident, officials of Bao'an District and the city government were present to cope with the situation. In the whole course, the police had been restraint, according to the city's public security bureau, adding that people dispersed before 2:00 a.m. Saturday.

Lai working with the Shiyan subdistrict office has been detained by police.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2008)