Man runs amok, sets patrol car ablaze

KUANTAN: A logging worker is believed to have run amok and set a Proton Waja police patrol car ablaze in Kampung Selengkong Nenasi, Pekan yesterday.

Pekan District Police chief Supt Mohd Zaidi Mat Zin said the incident occurred at about 11 pm and police received information from the timber yard supervisor that an Indonesian man, in his 30s, was running amok there.

He said three police personnel were dispatched to the area in a patrol car and found the suspect alone at the scene.

"While carrying out inspection, the suspect became aggressive and attacked the police personnel, injuring two of them. The suspect then entered the shared housing and returned with a flaming object which he threw into the police vehicle.

"A policeman still inside the car immediately got out to save himself while the suspect fled into the nearby forest. He has not been found yet," he said when contacted today.

Elaborating, Mohd Zaidi said two of the policemen suffered minor injuries during the scuffle and that police have launched "Ops Tutup" to track down the suspect.

He added that the investigation is being carried out under Section 436 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Ismail Abdul Ghani said seven personnel, including from the Nenasi Fire and Rescue Station, were deployed to the location in a fire engine, adding that the police patrol car was destroyed.

-- BERNAMA