Robber shot dead for refusing arrest

JAKARTA (JP): North Jakarta police shot dead an alleged robber in broad daylight on Tuesday as he resisted arrest and even tried to assault the officers.

An officer who asked not to be named said on Wednesday that the victim was identified as Abdul Jaelani, 21. He died of two shot wounds to his head and left thigh.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on Wednesday that Abdul was believed to a member of a gang responsible for a series of armed robberies in North Jakarta.

"Abdul had been listed as the main police target," Lubis said, adding that the officers were forced to shoot him as he was endangering their lives.

He said that police detectives had put Abdul under close watch at his residence in the Sunter area before he was shot at nearby Jl. Danau Agung Timur.

He explained that the police confiscated a sickle they suspected he had used in several criminal actions in the area.

No information was available as to whether police had already identified Abdul's accomplices. (emf)