Yip Kai Foon

Who is Yip Kai Foon?

Yip Kai Foon, sometimes referred to as "Teeth Dog", was born 1961 in Haifeng, China and is an infamous Hong Kong gangster who was most active in the early 1980s. He and his gang specialized in robbing jewellery stores with assault rifles. Their weapon of choice was the AK-47 assault rifle, which they acquired from black markets hosted by triads. He is also the first person to use an AK47 in armed-robbery in Hong Kong.

In 1984, when he was 23, Yip led a gang of five armed mainland men into Hong Kong. They robbed two jewelry stores, including one in the heart of the bustling financial district; they managed to obtain more than $700,000 worth of precious items as a result.

A year later in 1985, Yip was captured and sentenced to 18 years in prison. But he escaped in 1989, when he faked appendicitis and was transferred to hospital. In the toilet, he jumped his two officers with broken bottles and made off in a van parked at the hospital entrance. He hijacked the van with two occupants inside, a 37-year-old van driver and driver's 6-year old son. While driving, he forced the driver to take off shoes and clothes so Yip could put them on. He got off at Wong Chuk Hang and left the scene by bus. He is presumed to have fled into mainland China.