One Dead in Clash Between Residents and Group in Menteng, Central Jakarta

A clash between residents and a group of people on Jalan Tambak, Menteng, Central Jakarta, has left one person dead. A witness stated that the series of altercations began when a person from the group did not pay for nasi uduk on Jalan Matraman Dalam. “It started like this, a vendor was selling, then a person from Ambon bought nasi uduk but didn’t pay, ran away. Then a local kid yelled at him, but he just barged through,” said Yafa, a witness, at the scene on Sunday. Yafa explained that the nasi uduk vendor on Jalan Matraman Dalam is a long-time local resident, while the buyer appeared to be new to the area. Yafa witnessed the commotion after the group vandalised the nasi uduk cart. Local residents then stepped in to help the vendor. “It was chaotic, quite a crowd, then other buyers helped to stand the cart back up because the spices and food had fallen over, they tidied it up,” he explained. However, a clash with the group was unavoidable as residents’ emotions boiled over. Yafa saw several people from the group being dragged by residents towards Jalan Tambak. “They were pulled out, to the street. The Ambonese guys were targeted,” he added. According to Yafa, this was the first time he had known the group to cause trouble in the area. Police previously reported that the brawl on Jalan Tambak, Menteng, resulted in one fatality. The individual died after being taken to hospital. “The latest information is that of the two people secured from the scene, one was in critical condition and has since passed away at the hospital,” said Central Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKBP Roby Heri Saputra on Sunday. Roby explained that police received a report from residents around 10:00 AM Western Indonesian Time regarding a disturbance between a group and locals. Police deployed Brimob personnel to the location to secure the situation.