Suspect detained after reported knife attack in Guangzhou University Town

SharpPost Editorial｜14 September 2026

Reports of a knife attack emerged on the afternoon of 14 September around GOGO Xintiandi in Guangzhou University Town. A screenshot of a police statement bearing the name of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau's Panyu branch and dated the same day says officers detained a 35-year-old man surnamed Li. It says none of the injured were in life-threatening condition after treatment.

According to the statement, Guangzhou's emergency police line received a report at about 5:20 p.m. that a man was attacking people with a knife outside a hotpot restaurant in Panyu district's Xiaoguwei subdistrict. Officers attended the scene, arranged medical treatment for the injured and detained the suspect. The statement does not give the number of people injured, details of their injuries or a motive.

A video of about 3.3 seconds supplied to SharpPost contains surveillance footage from a passage between shops. One view shows several people walking through the passage; another shows a person in a light-coloured top near a shop, lowering their head and raising a hand to their face.

At 5:44 p.m., a message in a group chat warned local shopkeepers to take care if travelling to Beigang. Photographs forwarded with the message show a person crouching beside a food outlet with their face covered and what appears to be blood on the floor. An outdoor photograph also shows someone holding a hand to their face, with red marks on their clothing.

According to information supplied by a reader, local users on Douyin and Xiaohongshu had warned people to avoid the GOGO Xintiandi area and stay safe before the police statement was issued. Screenshots include messages saying “Don't go there now” and “Better not go to GOGO Xintiandi tonight.”

Messages in the group chat also claimed that several people were involved and that no one had yet been caught. The statement reports one suspect's detention, makes no mention of accomplices and does not describe the attack as indiscriminate. It says the investigation is continuing.