Authorities in northern China's Shanxi Province have approved the arrest of a policeman and eight others in the beating death of an officer from Beijing, the Shanxi Commercial Daily reported yesterday.

　　District prosecutors in Taiyuan, the provincial capital, charged the nine with murder, according to the newspaper.

　　The incident reportedly began as a street-corner quarrel involving the two officers during the May Day holiday when Beijing police officer Li Zhongyi, 47, was visiting Taiyuan.

　　About 6pm on May 3, Li stopped for a red light at a crossroads where he intended to turn left, the newspaper said. A local police officer pulled up behind him and repeatedly honked his horn urging Li to move on.

　　Li got out of his car and an argument between the two men began, the newspaper said.

　　Then Liu, 35, allegedly called two friends, Zhang Ji and An Shengli, to "teach Li a lesson."

　　About two hours later, Li parked his car near his hotel and was heading for his room with his family when nine people, including Liu, An and Zhang, arrived, the paper said.

　　Hotel video cameras showed the mob searched the hotel for Li. The men then began beating him with wooden clubs and iron pipes, the paper said. They fled from the hotal around a minute later, leaving Li lying in a pool of blood.

　　Li was rushed to a hospital but died early on May 4.

　　Liu and the other eight defendants were apprehended on May 6.

　　A spokesman for the Taiyuan Public Security Bureau attributed the beatings to a "privileged mentality" that seems to exist among some police officers.

　　Spokesman Shi Shuihong denied rumors that Liu belonged to a criminal gang.

　　According to Shi, Liu knew only An and Zhang, who rounded up the others after receiving Liu's orders.

　　An, 27, was working at the city's gardening bureau, and Zhang, 35, was employed by the city's labor resources authority.

　　The other six were ex-convicts and didn't have jobs, local sources reported.

　　The police bureau also suspended three top officials at its Jiancaoping sub-branch, where Liu worked, and ordered them to undergo disciplinary examinations.

　　A spokesman for state Public Security Ministry said the case should not affect the image of police officers across the country.

　　The official denied media reports that the ministry has joined the investigation into the case.