Local accounts have offered an explanation for the Nov. 9 incident, but police have not formally stated why the suspect acted.
XI’AN, China — Local reports have linked the damaging of a government service center by an excavator to a dispute over demolition compensation, but police investigating the Nov. 9 incident have not publicly confirmed a motive.
The distinction has become a key part of the case involving the Fengdong New City Government Service Center in Xixian New Area, Shaanxi province. Police said a 47-year-old man surnamed Hu used construction machinery to damage buildings at about 11 a.m. Officers detained him at the scene, and no injuries were reported.
Several media accounts said the dispute involved compensation related to the demolition of a livestock farm. One report cited a Fengdong New City administrative employee who said the person responsible was dissatisfied with compensation following the farm’s demolition. That account has circulated widely alongside video of the excavator damaging the government complex.
The police notice, however, did not give a reason for the incident. It said officers received a report that someone was using construction machinery to damage buildings at a government center, took the suspect under control and later placed him under criminal compulsory measures. Police said the case remained under further investigation.
That leaves the reported compensation dispute as an attributed explanation rather than an official investigative finding. Authorities have not released documents describing the compensation issue, the ownership or operation of the livestock farm, the amount allegedly in dispute or any prior dealings between the suspect and government offices.
Video and reporting from the scene documented substantial physical damage. The excavator struck the entrance area, while steps, signage, glass doors and other exterior structures were reported damaged. Journalists who visited the complex found debris around Building 1 and damage at several other locations in the government compound.
A local employee quoted in Chinese reporting said the incident began at about 11:23 a.m. Other reports placed the start at roughly 11 a.m. Witness accounts said the episode continued for close to an hour. Police have not provided a detailed public timeline beyond saying they received the initial report at about 11 a.m.
Staff and visitors were evacuated during the disturbance, and public services were temporarily interrupted. Police secured the site while investigators documented the damage. Some counters were reported to have reopened during the afternoon, and police said the government center had returned to normal later that day.
The absence of injuries was one of the clearest points confirmed across the official notice and local reporting. Authorities also have not publicly released an estimate of the property damage. Reports from the scene described at least six damaged sections of the complex, but police have not issued a final accounting.
Hu’s full name has not been released in the police notice. Authorities also have not announced formal charges or said whether investigators have determined that the reported compensation dispute prompted the damage. Under standard reporting practice, the unconfirmed explanation remains attributed to local accounts while the official investigation continues.
As of Nov. 14, the government service center was operating normally and the criminal investigation remained open. Police had confirmed Hu’s detention and the lack of injuries but had not publicly established a motive, released a damage total or announced the next procedural step in the case.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2026.