A Ho Chi Minh City man under police investigation for the illegal use of a tear gas gun during a heated row has been found in possession of a fake police ID, local police said Wednesday.

The man, Bui Duc Phuong, was summoned for questioning on Tuesday by Tan Binh District Police after a video clip circulating online captured him firing a tear gas handgun into the air as an apparent threat to a nearby woman during a heated argument.

The woman reportedly demanded unpaid salary for her son, a former employee at Viet Nhat Security Firm where Phuong serves as director.

Police later identified Phuong’s gun as an RG-88, a 9-milimeter double-action compact semi-automatic blank pistol manufactured by German firearm brand Röhm Gesellschaft.

The gun can be used to fire rubber bullets or tear gas.

As head of the security firm, Phuong was able to obtain and carry the tear gas gun legally as a support tool, and is licensed to use the firearm under approved circumstances until 2021.

A police search of Phuong’s office and personal car also found a fake police ID with Phuong’s name and photo which claimed he was an officer in the criminal police division at the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department.

The ID was later confirmed as a fake and Phuong has never worked on the police force, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

At the police station, Phuong said he crafted the police ID himself by scanning his photo and pasting it onto a pre-printed card.

Police are looking further into Phuong’s motives for the fake ID.

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