By IANS,
Washington : Three American police officers have been restricted to desk duty after they chased a Chinese diplomat, arrested and handcuffed him in Houston, media reports said Saturday.
The officers will be on desk duty until the investigation into the arrest and injury caused to China’s Deputy Consular Boren Yu is completed, Houston Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday night.
According CBS News, the incident occurred a week ago when Yu, 53, was driving and a marked Houston Police car attempted to pull him over for a missing license plate.
Yu did not slow down and the officers pursued him into the garage of the Chinese Consulate where they arrested and cuffed him.
Yu sustained injuries to his head and neck during the arrest and was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Mayor Parker also said in her statement that Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland would be “issuing a directive that all beat officers receive the addresses of every consulate in the city”.
The officers involved in the incident claim they didn’t know they were in the Chinese Consulate when they arrested Yu.
Like embassies, consulate grounds are considered to be sovereign territory of the country to which the consulate belongs.
The Chinese foreign ministry has asked an investigation into the incident.