Police Pelted with Stones While Evacuating Student Surrounded by Mob in Dompu

A 16-year-old student, identified by the initial A, was surrounded by hundreds of residents in O’o Village, Dompu District, Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday evening. The police evacuation process was tense, with officers pelted with stones and pieces of wood by the mob.

The victim was evacuated by officers after initially taking shelter in a resident’s home to avoid the mob’s fury, said Dompu Police Public Relations Head, Iptu I Nyoman Suardika, on Friday.

Suardika explained that the siege began when A left his home in Katua Village around 7:00 p.m. local time to pick up his younger sibling in Manggeasi Village. En route, precisely in O’o Village, the victim was intercepted by a group of people who accused him of being one of the perpetrators of a previous assault. He was then assaulted by the group.

Without being given a chance to explain, the victim became the target of the attack, Suardika said. A attempted to flee to save himself but was continuously chased and shouted at until he ultimately chose to seek refuge in a resident’s house.

The mob, provoked by the shouting, began to gather and surround the house, intending to assault A who was hiding inside. The situation grew increasingly heated as the crowd arrived and besieged the house where the victim was sheltering. Police successfully evacuated A an hour later after calming the mob and took him to the Dompu Police headquarters.