Dossiers on attack on police officers near completion

Dossiers on attack on police officers near completion

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta police are scheduled to complete the dossiers of nine suspects charged with attacking two police officers earlier this week.

"We had no significant problems completing the dossiers because they all cooperated during questioning this morning," reported South Jakarta police chief Lt. Col. SY Wenas.

"We'll send the dossiers to the local prosecutors office within the next few days," he confirmed.

Used to prepare for trial, the dossiers as well as all material evidence will be handed over to the local courts.

Even though his personnel could not find the knife used by one of the suspects to stab one of the officers to death, Wenas strongly believes that the dossiers will be accepted by the prosecutors office.

"The knife is not important in this case, particularly when all of the suspects have admitted their wrongdoings," the officer explained, adding that the knife had been thrown by the suspect into a river.

Some of the evidence currently in police possession is the sedan used by the two police officers, a stone allegedly used by one of the suspects to attack the officers and blood-stained clothes from the suspects and the victim.

The attack against the two plainclothes police officers took place on the exit ramp next to the Melawai Plaza building in the crowded Blok M shopping center in South Jakarta on March 6.

First Lieutenant Budi Utomo, 29, was fatally stabbed in his abdomen and buried on the next day, while his friend, Capt. Arman Depari, 35, suffered several bruises to the face.

Mario Taihutu, one of the suspects, was shot to death in the head and body four days later. Police claim that Mario, after being asked for the whereabouts of the other suspects, was shot as he tried escaping from the police.

The other nine suspects, currently in South Jakarta police custody, have been identified as Djupri, or known as Frengky Tulehu, Reza Lawalatta, Jimiko Danyanto, alias Mico, James Rudi Lasatira, Idris Tuarita, Steve, Robinson, Kifli and Amerson.

During a reconstruction of the events early yesterday morning, police investigators were able to corroborate the suspects' confessions with witness testimony.

"The suspects were very cooperative, making it quite easy to complete the dossiers," Wenas said.

For instance, he cited the moment when Capt. Arman told the investigating officers that Reza, one of the suspects, kicked him in his leg. Reza was quick to reply, "No, I kicked your stomach, sir."

Wenas has determined that Frengky was the one who stabbed officer Budi to death and that the late Mario was the one who ignited the incident.

The two officers were trying to park their sedan at the exit ramp when Mario banged on the car's window to tell them they were incorrectly parked, Wenas said.

When Arman, who drove the car, opened the window, a drunken Mario quickly hit him and taunted the officer to get out of the sedan.

Then, Mario's friends came by to give assistance, forcing Arman away from the scene.

When Budi got out of the car, he was immediately attacked by the group. As Budi was knocked down, Frengky took out his dagger and stabbed the officer in the stomach.

The late Budi was an officer from the Tarakan police precinct in East Kalimantan, while Arman came from the Jakarta precinct. Both were studying at Jakarta's Police College.

Police and witnesses said that the suspects, all in their 20s, were street hoodlums and drunk at the time the incident took place.

All of the suspects were arrested in different locations around the city within five days after the attack.

The incident has sparked a massive police operation against local hoodlums, known as preman. Around 7,000 preman have so far been arrested in and around the city.

Police officers assert that the clean-up operation "is not revenge" but part of their continuous operation against all criminals. (bsr)