Soldier arrested over shooting

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

The Central Jakarta Police arrested an Army soldier, Second Sgt. Agus Rianto Sinaga, on Tuesday for allegedly shooting a 22-year- old civilian, Hendarlan, at the low-cost apartments in Tanah Tinggi, Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Agus was arrested at his home on Jl. Kesehatan in Central Jakarta. He was handed over to the Jakarta Military Police, who are now investigating the case.

Hendarlan suffered three bullet wounds -- one in the left knee, left calf and right thigh respectively. He was rushed to the Jakarta Islamic Hospital in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, but his condition was said to not be life-threatening.

The dispute between the two men started on Saturday night when Hendarlan and his friends were gathered outside an apartment on the second floor, where Agus' girlfriend, Yeyen, lives.

On her way to her apartment, she passed and greeted them. The men started to tease her in a way that was taken by Yeyen to be verbal harassment. Yeyen then told Agus about the incident and he later confronted them.

The verbal quarrel turned ugly when Hendarlan threw a glass at Agus, wounding him on the head.

To avoid the dispute worsening, other tenants brought the two men to the Johar Baru police station where Agus and Hendarlan signed a peace agreement in front of police officers.

But on Tuesday at around 1:30 a.m., Agus came back to Hendarlan's apartment and kicked the door open before opening fire on the sleeping Hendarlan.

The gunshots woke other tenants. Some of them chased Agus into the parking lot where he had parked his car. He managed to get away from his pursuers before finally being arrested by the police.

Jakarta Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Apang Sopandi confirmed the arrest and said that the suspect was being questioned at Jakarta Military Police headquarters.