A 54-year-old motorist was slashed on his right arm and abdomen after a driving dispute in George Town turned violent, and the man who attacked him has been jailed for eight months. Police only learned of the assault after footage of it spread on social media on 14 November, ten days after it happened.
In a statement carried by NST, Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rozak Muhammad said the attack took place about 2.07pm on 4 November, on the road in front of Sekolah Kebangsaan Batu Lancang. Officers came across the video circulating online that day.
“The victim, a 54-year-old local man, sustained slash wounds to his right arm and abdomen after being struck with a knife by the suspect,” Rozak said.
The suspect, a 30-year-old man, had already been arrested the day after the incident, Bernama reported. Investigators traced the attack to his dissatisfaction with the way the victim was driving.
He was charged on 11 November, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months in prison. Rozak issued his statement on 14 November, the same day police detected the clip, and confirmed that action had already been taken. The sentencing came three days before the video drew wider public attention, which The Sun said the clip had attracted before police commented.
The case was investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which covers voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, The Sun wrote.
A social media user who identified as a friend of the victim gave a more detailed account of how the confrontation began. The motorcyclist squeezed between the victim’s car and the vehicle ahead, then stopped abruptly, so the car nudged the motorcycle.
According to that account, the rider opened the car door and attacked the driver with his fists and a box cutter before kicking him in the head. The friend described the victim as soft-spoken and prone to seizures, and said he remained traumatised despite lodging a police report.
Abdul Rozak advised the public against sharing the video or speculating about the case, warning that doing so could cause alarm among residents. Police have not named the suspect or the court that handled the case.
The road outside the school carries traffic from the surrounding Batu Lancang neighbourhoods. The attack happened in daylight at 2.07pm on a Wednesday, on a public road in front of a primary school.
