Police shoot dead four men

JAKARTA (JP): Police have shot dead four men in the last two days for resisting arrest in East Jakarta, South Jakarta and North Jakarta.

East Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Nanan Sukarna said police shot dead Nimin Kosasih, 54, a suspected fencer of stolen vehicles, at dawn on Jl. Batu Ampar.

"He tried to steal a gun from a police officer and escape. The officer shot him after firing two warning shots," Nanan said.

Nimin lived in Jl. Kampung Tengah, East Jakarta.

Nanan said the officers asked Nimin to name his accomplices before he tried to escape.

They shot him in the leg, back and head.

Nimin's second wife, Endah, 30, viewed his body at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue.

"My husband had been in police detention for two months for buying stolen cars. But I was told this morning that my husband was shot dead," she said.

Nanan said another of his officers shot dead a student Thursday evening after he resisted arrest for possessing marijuana.

"My officers stopped Leonardo Defrede, who had dried marijuana in his motorcycle, in a street crackdown in Pulomas," he said. "The suspect tried to escape. An officer tried to shoot him in the leg. Unfortunately the suspect bowed low on the motorbike and the bullet hit his torso." The police then found 100 grams of marijuana in the motorcycle.

The police shot dead Samin, 34, yesterday. He lived in Jl. Damai Raya, Cipete, South Jakarta.

South Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Sisno Adhi said the police asked Samin the whereabouts of his friend, Rusdi, before he tried to escape.

"The police shot him in the chest after firing two warning shots," Sisno said.

He said the suspect was a convicted burglar who had once robbed the house of a minister's son in South Jakarta.

The police shot dead Yasan, 19, on Jl. Teluk Gong, North Jakarta, after he allegedly stole a motorcycle in Sunter.

North Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Rismawan said Yasan, a resident of Jl. Taman Kota Gapura, West Jakarta, stole a motorcycle in front of an apartment.

He said he ordered his officers to chase the suspect after receiving a report from the motorcycle's owner, Mulyono, that it was missing.

"A police patrol, which saw the suspect riding the motorcycle, asked him to stop but he refused and sped away," Rismawan said.

Yasan was shot in the leg and stomach. He died on the way to Kramatjati Police Hospital. (jun)