Three arrested for attacking police officer

JAKARTA (JP): City police have arrested three suspected holdup men, one of whom is believed to have wounded a traffic policeman who acted to protect students that the men were chasing in South Jakarta over the weekend.

Police Spokesman Maj. Nyoman S. said yesterday that the three were apprehended at different occasions after the Saturday afternoon incident on Jl. Pattimura.

The victim, officer Chief Sergeant Agus Priono, 30, from the Jakarta Traffic Police directorate, is in intensive care at the police hospital in East Jakarta, said the spokesman. He was stabbed in the abdomen with a sword.

According to Nyoman, Agus shot one of the suspects, Aziz, 21, in the leg after he allegedly stabbed him in the stomach.

"Warning shots were fired before the wounded officer shot the hoodlum," said Nyoman.

Earlier reports said that Aziz was apprehended by passersby, who apparently crowded the area where the officer lay bleeding profusely.

The other two suspects, Rusdianto, 22, and Antonius Agus Harko, 26, were arrested on Sunday evening at their respective homes thanks to a tip from Aziz.

The preliminary police investigation found that the three are widely known as untouchable holdup gang members in the neighborhood around Jl. Pattimura.

They are believed to have committed a series of holdups on buses, with most of their victims being students and children.

During Saturday's holdup, for instance, the three suspects boarded a bus plying the Blok M-Manggarai route at a bus stop near a gas station on Jl. Manggarai, said Nyoman.

"Just after they boarded, they pointed a sword and screwdrivers at two victims, Johan and Heriyadi, asking for money, shoes, wallets and rings," said Nyoman.

To intimidate their victims, they reportedly identified themselves as students of a nearby technical high school, whose students are notorious for brawling.

"The victims jumped out of the bus immediately at the next bus stop, but the suspects chased them," said Nyoman.

One of the victims rushed to officer Agus, who was on duty in the area, for help.

Thinking that he could arrest the three suspects without having to use his gun, Agus asked the three to surrender.

Preliminary police investigation found that the three suspects are dropouts of a technical high school in South Jakarta. (bsr)