Two brothers who tried to blackmail the Transformers 4 crew in Hong Kong have received jail sentences for their attempt. The incident caught international attention, as it had been reported that director Michael Bay was attacked by the men, although Paramount later said he was not injured.
As previously reported in October, the men, Mak Chi-hang and Mak Chi-shing, requested money from Bay and the crew. When Bay refused, they attacked Bay, swinging an air conditioning unit at Bay’s head. Bay wrote on his blog that “it took fifteen Hong Kong cops in riot gear to deal with these punks. In all, four guys were arrested for assaulting the officers.”
The brothers own an air conditioning repair shop (which explains why they had an AC unit) near where production was taking place. They had previously agreed to shut down for HK$1,000 ($129), reports Reuters. But when filming started the next day, they requested HK$100,000 ($13,000). The crew refused to pay that much and the scuffle broke out.
The BBC reports that Mak Chi-shing was found guilty of blackmail and assaulting a police officer. He was given two years in prison. His brother was convicted of assaulting an officer and received just six weeks in prison.
The brothers’ lawyers pointed out their harsh upbringing, but prosecutors said it was no excuse for the incident ,which they said tarnished Hong Kong’s image around the world. “[The negative publicity] could affect foreigners deciding whether to travel to or work in Hong Kong,” Judge Josiah Lam said Wednesday.
Transformers 4 opens in June and is a Chinese co-production. The stars include Mark Wahlberg and Kelsey Grammer.
image courtesy of image.net/Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Paramount