A MENTALLY ill man, armed with a pair of parangs, ran amok, leaving four policemen seriously wounded after a seven-hour stand-off in Taman Seri Astana .
According to reports in The New Straits Times, Mohd Suyuti Abdullah, 50, from the neighbourhood, said the drama unfolded at about 3pm when the suspect's parents fled the house after the man began behaving violently.
"Two plainclothes policemen later arrived at the house to calm the suspect. Suddenly, I heard altercations before seeing the two policemen fleeing the house.
"However, one of them fell to the ground and the suspect slashed him.
"He shouted out loud that he would kill all policemen who tried to arrest him. Then he went back into his semi-detached house and locked himself in it," he told The New Straits Times.
Suyuti said he later assisted another neighbour - a medical doctor - in providing emergency treatment to the injured policeman before he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Following the incident, more policemen arrived at the scene and the stand-off lasted several hours.
"After 7pm, I saw a fire engine arrive at the scene, followed by three ambulances. Later, we heard several gunshots at the house. The stand-off finally ended after 10pm," he said.
Two videos allegedly linked to the incident have gone viral on social media since early today.
Suyuti said the incident sent a shockwave among the neighbours as they did not know that the suspect was suffering from a mental illness.
"My children usually play in front of the suspect's house every evening. I dreaded to think what could have happened to them should the man suddenly run amok when the children were playing there," he said as reported by The New Straits Times.
Suyuti said the suspect moved into the house with his parents over a year ago.
"If we knew that he was a mental patient, we would never allow our children to play near the house," he said.
Amok suspect dies in hospital
Meanwhile, in a latest update, Kuala Muda police chief, Wan Azharuddin Wan Ismail, said the 32-year-old man was pronounced dead at about 1.04am, several hours after being rushed to the hospital.
Azharuddin said the policemen, in their 20s, 40s, and 50s, were attacked at different times throughout the process of arresting the suspect.
"They suffered injuries to their heads and bodies. Two of them, in their 30s and 50s, are still warded at the hospital, but they are in stable condition.
"The other two policemen, in their 20s, have been discharged after receiving outpatient treatment for their injuries," he said.
He said the police have classified the case under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder. However, he declined to elaborate as investigations are underway. - February 15, 2025
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