[5][6] On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar Armed Forces staged a coup d'état and deposed the democratically elected government led by the National League for Democracy.

[14][13] Around 10 am, military trucks began crossing Bayinnaung Bridge to enter the township, with approximately 200 soldiers ultimately breaching the barriers and forcing protesters to disperse.

[7] Security forces and snipers also gathered atop Aung Zeya Bridge, which overlooks the thoroughfare and connects the township to the rest of Yangon, to shoot protesters and other civilians, including volunteer medics and ambulance workers.

[12] A December 2021 Human Rights Watch report tallied at least 65 casualties, with victims ranging from the ages of 17 to 78.

[7] Riot police (called lon htein) collaborated with soldiers from the 77th Light Infantry Division (LID) during protest crackdown.

[3][7] As the events unfolded, at least 32 Chinese-owned factories in the township were deliberately set on fire by unknown assailants, with losses totaling $37 million USD.

[22] On the evening of 14 March, the military regime imposed martial law in Hlaingthaya and nearby Shwepyitha townships, vesting judicial and executive authority with Nyunt Win Swe, the army commander of Yangon Region.

[19] Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, condemned the military's lethal crackdown in Hlaingthaya, and called for the international community to take concrete actions in response.