Hong Kong has been hit with another day of turmoil Tuesday after a man was shot by a police officer and another set alight following a confrontation with protesters in one of the most dramatic days in over five months of protests.

Some universities and schools shut Tuesday as protesters and riot police faced off around the Asian financial hub. By 8 a.m. police had already fired tear gas on the city's streets.

At midday Tuesday, a few thousand people -- including office workers and black-clad protesters -- brought traffic to a standstill by occupying a major intersection in Central, the city's business district. In the afternoon, police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and detained

Office workers and pro-democracy protesters walk around bricks lying on a street during a demonstration in Central in Hong Kong on November 12, 2019.

Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in Hong Kong's New Territories also became a major flashpoint Tuesday. In the morning, protesters set up barricades and a collection of bows and arrows were spotted piled nearby. By the afternoon, tensions flared between police and protesters, with police firing tear gas as protesters threw petrol bombs, causing an empty car to go up in flames.

At both Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Hum, "masked rioters" dropped bricks from a footbridge, police spokesman Kong Wing-cheung said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. From another footbridge near the University of Hong Kong, "rioters" threw chairs and traffic cones at the traffic below, he said.

Kong said society had been "pushed to the brink of a total breakdown" over the past two days -- and said if anyone who was still making excuses for protesters' violence, they needed to "do some soul-searching."

"If anyone still has any wishful thinking that they can achieve their so-called ideals by using violence, please wake up," he said. "If you still refuse to cut ties with rioters and are still looking for excuses to defend them, you are indeed an accomplice."

Earlier in the day, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam called out "aggressive rioters" who she said were trying to disrupt the city's transport networks. "They want to paralyze Hong Kong, which is a selfish act," she said.

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Protesters gather in the Central district of Hong Kong on November 12, 2019.

Although some schools have shut for the day, Lam said the government is not officially suspending classes as it would give protesters what they wanted -- to bring the city to a standstill.

Most subway lines remained operational throughout the day. However, some commuters were forced to walk along the train tracks in Sha Tin district after an unidentified object was found on the track, an MTR representative said.

Tuesday's unrest follows a day of clashes around the city on Monday that saw protesters hurl petrol bombs, set fires, build barricades and disrupt transport. In total, 287 people were arrested on Monday, including 187 students, according to police.