At midday on Monday, as office workers stepped out for lunch, riot police gathered in Hong Kong's central business district and tensions between protesters and law enforcement came unexpectedly to a head.

"It escalated so quickly, then police launched tear gas into the crowd," a law firm staffer told Legal Week, Law.com's U.K. affiliate. "It felt like my lungs were on fire."

Events of recent days, such as the death of a student last Friday, have drawn the attention of global media, with violence occurring abruptly within working hours, affecting a wide range of people.