Youth sues 10 cops: disabled father screamed for beating to stop before dying, says son

KUALA LUMPUR – A 20-year-old is suing the inspector-general of police and 10 officers for the death of his handicapped father, which occurred while the latter was under the detention and care of the authorities.

In his statement of claim, Low Joe Er said his father Low Boon Long, a disabled shop assistant, was visiting a restaurant in Behrang, Perak, to watch a Fifa World Cup match at 8pm on July 2, 2018.

At about 10pm, around 10 police officers – nine of whom are from the Special Task Force for Anti-Vice, Gambling and Gangsterism – proceeded to arrest Boon Long at the premises.

“During the arrest, the deceased was located in a room inside the restaurant with a boy who witnessed the detention by the 10 officers,” read the statement of claim, filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 1.

“After the arrest, the deceased was handcuffed and no one else was allowed back into the room except the arresting officers. The boy was then escorted out by his grandmother.”

The statement claimed that the 10 officers had allegedly thrown Boon Long towards the floor and severely beaten him up.

Boon Long was screaming, begging, and pleading for the officers to stop, it added.

“Not long after, the deceased’s screams were no longer heard, and his body was seen lying down in the restaurant.

“The body was sent to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital for a post-mortem.”

The autopsy revealed bruises and blisters on the victim’s body, with scars on his aortic muscles that were determined as his cause of death.

The deceased is alleged to have suffered the following injuries: bleeding in the left chest muscle, swollen and congested lungs, lumen narrowing at coronary arteries, bleeding in the fat layer near the rear of kidneys, and scar tissue on the heart.

He also incurred other injuries, including bruises on the rear of the body, above the left ear, on the side and rear of the right wrist; blisters on the front and sides of the left calf, rear right of the body and right kidney.

Joe Er claimed that the excessive force employed by police caused his father’s death.

He added that when Boon Long was alive, the deceased had brought home RM42,000 annually. He is claiming 80% of that amount, and RM50,155 for funeral expenses. – The Vibes, August 22, 2021