Motorcycle Taxi Driver Shot While Blocking Motorcycle Thieves in Matraman
A motorcycle taxi driver became the victim of a shooting by suspected motorcycle thieves in the Matraman area of East Jakarta. The incident occurred when the victim tried to block the perpetrators’ escape on Jalan Palmeriam.
Eyewitness Evi (57) recounted that the situation on Jalan Palmeriam was quite busy at the time. The victim was waiting for a passenger who was buying medicine when two suspected thieves appeared, being chased by residents from the direction of Pasar Palmeriam.
“So, (the victim) blocked the thief’s motorbike. Once it was blocked, there was immediately a ‘bang’ sound, a gunshot. I immediately said, ‘Oh, he’s been shot, he’s been shot,’” Evi said in Jakarta on Monday.
Evi added that before the shooting, she heard shouts of “thief” and saw more than ten residents chasing the two perpetrators. As a result of the gunshot, the victim suffered a wound to the thigh and lost a lot of blood.
“He didn’t fall at first. When I shouted, ‘He’s bleeding, blood, blood, blood,’ the man immediately fell. He was taken to the community health centre first but was not accepted, then he was taken to the hospital,” Evi explained.
According to witness statements, the two masked perpetrators fired the shot while riding a motorcycle before fleeing towards Jalan Matraman Raya. Local residents who witnessed the incident did not dare to approach because the perpetrators were carrying a firearm.
The owner of the motorcycle that was nearly stolen, Ilham (28), explained that the criminal act began at a boarding house not far from the shooting location. The perpetrators were targeting his Yamaha RX-King motorcycle.
Ilham admitted he initially thought the noise outside his room was a package courier. However, after monitoring for several minutes, he realised a stranger was trying to take his motorbike.
“After about five or ten minutes, I checked it and immediately banged on the door. That’s why there was a sound like a gunshot (on the CCTV),” Ilham said.
Although they failed to take the motorcycle, the two perpetrators immediately fled. Ilham chased them while shouting for help from residents, triggering a mass pursuit that ended with the shooting of the motorcycle taxi driver.
“As for their facial features, I don’t really know because everything was covered. They wore masks, helmets, jackets, and carried bags, so they were not visible at all,” Ilham concluded.
As of the time this report was filed, the victim’s identity and current condition at the hospital were still being documented. The police are conducting further investigations to pursue the two perpetrators.