BINTANGOR: A gathering that began with friends drinking in a rented room ended in a violent confrontation, with five people arrested after footage of a brawl went viral on social media.
The five, including two women, were taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID), with assistance from the Mobile Patrol Vehicle (MPV) team, yesterday (Aug 11).
Meradong police chief DSP Tansli Mering said the group knew one another and were friends.
“They had allegedly gathered and consumed alcohol in a rented room located behind a drinking establishment in Bintangor before the incident.
“At around 5pm on Monday (Aug 10), an argument broke out between two of them, prompting another individual to intervene and try to defuse the situation.
“The situation, however, took a more violent turn when a Perodua Kancil was about to leave the area.
“A misunderstanding reportedly led to the vehicle being stopped, followed by a scuffle in which a man was allegedly assaulted and the vehicle was also struck,” he said.
Fearing that the confrontation could escalate further, those inside the Kancil quickly drove away from the scene.
Preliminary investigations also found that the group were believed to under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
Tansli said no police report had been lodged by any of the parties involved so far.
All five are being held at Bintangor police lock-up under Section 23 of the Criminal Procedure Code for preventive purposes.
Police are continuing their investigation to establish the actual sequence of events and determine what led to the confrontation.
Members of the public are urged not to speculate or circulate unverified information about the incident, but allow police to complete their investigation before taking further action.
