Police Arrest Three for Carrying Sharp Weapons in East Jakarta
Jakarta - Police arrested two men and a woman believed to be pregnant for carrying sharp weapons intended for a street brawl in the Otista area of Jatinegara, East Jakarta.
“The suspects are currently being held at the East Jakarta Metro Police,” said Jatinegara Police Chief Kompol Samsono in Jakarta on Sunday.
Police also urged the public and parents to more closely monitor the activities of young people to prevent their involvement in street brawls that could endanger themselves and others.
Authorities are still investigating the case, including tracking down other members of the group who managed to flee.
Local resident Muhammad Cholid (54) said the incident began with a chase involving a group of people coming from the direction of West Jatinegara toward Kampung Melayu.
“One motorcycle carrying three people was finally caught here,” he said, explaining that the two men and one woman were suspected of planning to take part in a street brawl on Saturday at around 11:35 PM WIB.
The arrest began with a chase between police officers and several motorcyclists. According to him, the motorcycle was carrying two men and one woman. All three were immediately apprehended by officers from the Jatinegara Police Station with the help of local residents.
“The ones caught were three people on one motorcycle. Two men and one woman,” Cholid said.
During a search, officers found two sharp weapons — a machete and a long sickle — in the suspects’ possession. The weapons were believed to have been intended for use in the brawl.
“There were two sharp weapons, a machete and a sickle. They were immediately confiscated by police,” Cholid said.
The woman who was detained claimed to be the wife of one of the men. She also told officers that she was pregnant.
CCTV footage captured the arrest of the two men and the allegedly pregnant woman during the chase involving sharp weapons in the Otista area of Jatinegara, East Jakarta, on Saturday at 11:35 PM WIB.
To ensure no other dangerous items were present, the search was conducted in the presence of female residents. Based on her statement, the woman claimed to be pregnant.
“When searched in the presence of local women, no other items were found besides the sharp weapons,” he said.
In addition to the sharp weapons, police also confiscated the suspects’ mobile phones as evidence. Based on preliminary statements, the group was allegedly heading to a brawl location in the Kasablanka area of South Jakarta.
“The indication is that they were indeed heading to a brawl — they said the meeting point was in Kasablanka,” he said.
Before being caught, the group was traveling with several other motorcycles. However, the other vehicles fled toward Kampung Melayu. Cholid added that based on the identification checked by officers, the suspects were not local residents. They claimed to be from the Cipinang Jagal area in Rawamangun, Pulogadung.