City Police nab all suspects of Blok M incident
City Police nab all suspects of Blok M incident
JAKARTA (JP): City Police announced yesterday that they had apprehended all members of a group of street hoodlums believed to have attacked and killed one plainclothes police officer and wounded another on Monday.
"By this afternoon, all of the 10 suspects, including the one who was shot earlier, were already in our hands," City Police Chief, Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, told reporters.
Dibyo said that the identities of the suspects matched the confessions made by them, suggesting that it may be only a few days before police can hand the case over to the local prosecutor's office.
According to South Jakarta police chief, Lt. Col. SY Wenas, police are still looking for a pocket knife allegedly used by one of the suspects to fatally stab one of the police officers.
"We have found a place near a river where the knife was thrown by the suspect," Wenas said. He was optimistic that his personnel would find the knife soon.
Monday's attack on the two officers occurred at an entry ramp of the famous Blok M shopping center in South Jakarta. The suspects are Reza Lawalatta, Jimiko Danyanto, alias Mico, James Rudi Lasatira, Idris Tuarita, Djupri, also known as Frengky Tulehu, the late Mario Taihutu, Steve, Robinson, Kifli and Amerson.
The suspects, most of whom are of Ambonese origin, are aged between 20 and 30 years.
The first four suspects were arrested only hours after the incident while the others have been picked up subsequently at separate locations.
The last suspect to be arrested was Amerson, who was arrested in Bogor yesterday afternoon, Wenas said.
Fatally shot
On Thursday police fatally shot Mario who, they claim, was trying to resist arrest. At least seven bullets were found in his body and head.
"I warned the fugitives through the media that if they did not turn themselves in immediately they would face serious consequences," Wenas, a former commander of the elite city mobile brigade, told The Jakarta Post.
The body of Mario was buried yesterday afternoon at the Menteng Pulo public cemetery in Menteng Atas, South Jakarta.
The attack near the Melawai Plaza building resulted in the death of First Lieutenant Budi Prasetyo Utomo, 29, who was beaten up and stabbed by the drunken thugs.
Budi's companion, Capt. Arman Depari, suffered several bruises to the face. Both were continuing their studies at Jakarta's Police College.
Police claim that the incident was started by the hoodlums (locally known as preman) who felt that the shopping area was their territory in which they had to be obeyed.
"The two officers were going to park their car but were then called by Mario, as if he was going to show them a place to park their sedan," said the city head of the major crime investigation division, Lt. Col. Gories Mere.
But both the suspects and witnesses said that the officers had been leaving the shopping area when Mario came up and stopped the policemen's car.
One of the suspects, however, said that the incident might not have occurred if the officers had not reacted so strongly to the harsh words and attitude of Mario, who was drunk.
Confession
Based on preliminary confessions made by the suspects, Arman was first attacked by Mario after a heated argument between the two.
Then the other suspects allegedly moved in to support Mario.
Before running away to seek help, Arman had landed some kicks and punches on some of the suspects, making them quite angry.
While the captain was being attacked by the group, Budi got out of the car and soon found himself being mobbed by the hoodlums.
A few minutes later, Arman returned to the scene, only to find Budi lying on the ramp bleeding profusely.
Djupri has allegedly admitted that he was the one who stabbed the lieutenant after the latter fell down.
If found guilty, the suspects will face terms of imprisonment of between four and 12 years.
Some of the suspects, such as Mico and Idris, have denied police allegations that they took part in the attack.
"We did not touch a single part of the two officers' bodies -- we just saw the incident from a distance," Mico said.(bsr)