Drunk man tries to seize submachine gun from cop at police station in Penang
GEORGE TOWN – Following a deadly attack at the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor, a potentially similar incident was thwarted in Penang on May 19, when a man tried to seize a firearm from a policeman.
Police are investigating the incident, which saw the 35-year-old man try to seize an HK MP5 submachine gun from a sentry at the Dato Keramat police station in George Town.
The man was apprehended after a short scuffle at around 4am on May 19.
The 35-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol, said Penang police chief Hamzah Ahmad.
He had initially approached the entrance of the police station while shouting obscenities at the policeman on sentry duty, demanding that he open the gate.
“Police personnel gave him a warning and advised him to leave the place, but the suspect moved towards him and tried to snatch an HK MP5 machine gun from him,” Datuk Hamzah said on May 19.
“However, the police personnel managed to ward him off. The suspect later took a helmet and tried to attack the policeman and was hurt in the scuffle when he was being apprehended.”
Mr Hamzah said the suspect had two criminal and drug-related offences on his record. Initial urine tests did not reveal any traces of drugs in his system.
An earlier police report said the man was being treated at Hospital Penang for a minor injury.
He will be detained until May 22 for further investigations, with possible charges for criminal intimidation, using a criminal force to obstruct a public servant on duty and disorderly conduct in a police station. – THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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