Police officer gunned down by crime suspect

JAKARTA (JP): A Mobile Brigade Police officer was killed on duty yesterday after two alleged criminals slashed his left hand with a machete and shot him twice in the waist and stomach.

The officer, First Sgt. Witono, died at the crime scene before he could be taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata regretted the incident but courageously said it was a risk police officers face in accomplishing their duties.

"It's the risk of being a police officer. Establishing security is expensive, it cannot be measured with money. Sometimes we have to give up our lives for the sake of it," Hamami said yesterday.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said Witono was assigned to escort staff from a private company, PT IM, who were transporting two kilograms of gold bars yesterday from Pasar Grogol to Roxy Mas in West Jakarta.

He said Witono, 27, was driving a motorcycle with a staff member of the company. A car, in which the gold was being transported, followed behind him.

Aritonang said the incident took place at about 10:30 a.m.

They were passing by Jl. Dr. Susilo in Grogol when suddenly two men on a motorcycle approached Witono from his left side and attacked him, Aritonang said.

"One of the two men, whose identities are still unknown, slashed Witono's left hand. Witono lost control and fell to the ground," Aritonang said.

The man who was riding on the same motorcycle with Witono was so scared that he ran away. The car's driver did the same thing, he said.

"As Witono tried to get up, one of the attackers shot him in the waist and stomach," Aritonang said.

He said it was believed the attackers planned the robbery well in advance.

Witono's body was taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue in Central Jakarta yesterday. His body was scheduled to be transported to Madiun, East Java, for funeral arrangements.

Witono, who lived at the barracks of Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Bogor, was scheduled to marry his fiancee in the next few months. (cst)