KUCHING: A 43-year-old man, who was believed to be under the influence of drugs, was shot by police amidst a frenzied situation at his residence at Kpg Keluru, Bekenu near Miri on Friday.
Head of state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) SAC Dev Kumar said the incident happened at about 11pm when the man’s 64-year-old mother noticed her son’s strange behaviour at their home.
“He appeared to be hallucinating and talking to himself while holding a knife. Fearing for their safety, the family members ran out of the house and the Bekenu police were notified.
“The OCS (officer in-charge of police station) Bekenu tried to calm the man down and coax him into surrendering but the man refused. Instead, he threatened to burn down the house and kill himself. The tense situation went unresolved until the following day,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
Dev said a police team from CID Miri led by ASP Soliment and a K9 unit were dispatched to the house at 6am yesterday.
“The police team found the front door locked from inside. They tried coaxing the man into giving up and again he refused. The man then attempted to set fire to the house using two gas tanks.
“The police team broke in through the front door. The man then ran into a bedroom and locked himself inside. The village chief was called to coax the man out and this attempt too failed.”
Sensing that the man was turning more aggressive and the situation was going out of control, he said a tear gas canister was thrown into the room to flush the man out.
The man was then seen rushing out of the room with both hands holding a knife and a machete, trying to attack the police team, he added.
One of the police officers then shot the man on his right buttock, he said.
Despite being shot, Dev said the man still put up a struggle while being apprehended.
As a result, one of the policemen sustained injuries to his right hand from the machete held by the man, he said.
“Upon being apprehended, the man was brought to the Miri Hospital for treatment. His condition is not serious. The man is an unemployed and was believed to be under the influence of drugs during the incident.”
Police have classified the case as attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code.
Dev commended the CID team led by Soliment for containing the situation and using necessary and appropriate force to apprehend the suspect.