Police apologize for false shooting after jailbreak

Oyos Saroso, The Jakarta Post, Sukadana, Lampung

The provincial police apologized on Thursday to people in the remote Lampung district of Sukadana after an officer shot a resident to death during the hunt for 45 inmates who escaped from the local prison overnight.

Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. Sugiri appealed to Sukadana residents to stay calm and promised to severely punish the errant officer, Sec. Brig. Devi Firmansyah, who has been detained for questioning.

Police also arrested five residents for their alleged role in an arson attack on the local police station. Besides setting the police station on fire, the angry residents also attacked an on- duty police officer, First Brig. Sinurat.

The death of Lutfi, 38, sparked local outrage. Some 500 people attacked the local police station, smashing its windows and ransacking it before finally setting it ablaze.

Sukadana Police chief Adj. Comr. Edi Santoso said the fire had reduced the police station to ashes, destroying everything in it.

"It's all gone up in smoke. We managed to secure the three inmates, however," Edi said.

The police station will be closed indefinitely, with officers being moved to East Lampung.

Lutfi was shot as he and his colleagues were on their way home from a billiard center to eat their pre-dawn meal. The men ran fled in panic when they met a group of heavily armed police officers.

Seeing the men running off, the police say they fired warning shots. One of the officers, Devi, shot Lutfi in the leg and later in his chest after he continued trying to flee. Lutfi died instantly.

"We ask for the people's forgiveness and will take measures against the officer, whom we consider as having breached standard procedures with the result that a life was lost," Sugiri said.

Sukadana, located 250 kilometers from the provincial capital Bandarlampung, remained tense on Thursday. Although public transportation had returned to normal, only a few shops were open.

Over the past four years, at least five police stations have been attacked and burned here. The arson attacks were mostly committed by residents upset by police action or tactics.

Police have so far only managed to capture one of the prison escapees, identified as Ahmad Said.

Ahmad told police that the jailbreak had been planned since Tuesday. He said the inmates had planned to incite the riot that broke out during the pre-dawn meal. The inmates broke down the steel doors of the prison and attacked five guards before making good their escape.