Police chief defends shooting

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Sutiyono said on Thursday he could understand the motives behind the recent shooting by Mobile Brigade troops of a house belonging to a youth group.

Sutiyono said he had asked the Golkar-affiliated youth group to surrender its member who allegedly stabbed a Mobile Brigade soldier, Second Sgt. Afriandi, and beat him up on Tuesday.

"But they did not heed our call. So it's understandable if Afriandi's colleagues demonstrated the spirit of the corps. They agreed to bring the suspect to the police following the incident," Sutiyono said.

A group of Mobile Brigade troops sprayed a house with bullets in Olo Panggabean, which also served as the secretariat of the Pemuda Karya youth organization, and demanded they release the suspect. (39)