An Indonesian man died following a struggle with police during his arrest after reportedly going on a rampage and behaving aggressively in an incident at Taman Bukit Jambul, near Bukit Jambul, last Saturday.
Acting Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin stated that an autopsy revealed the man, believed to be an undocumented migrant due to the absence of valid travel documents, died of a heart attack. “Based on our investigation, at about 6.20 pm on Saturday, police received a public complaint about a man behaving violently and wielding an iron rod at Block D, Taman Bukit Jambul,” he said.
“A police team was immediately dispatched to the scene, but upon arrival, the officers were attacked by the suspect, who acted aggressively, punching one of the policemen several times in the face and the back of the head, and attempting to seize his firearm,” Datuk Mohd Alwi told reporters at a ceremony to dispose of drugs seized by the state police today.
Members of the public on the scene assisted police in subduing the man, who was then taken to Sungai Nibong Police Station. Mohd Alwi stated that the man suddenly collapsed while at the police station and was rushed to Penang Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He confirmed that the autopsy found the cause of death to be a heart attack, and the case has been classified as a sudden death report (SDR).
“We received two police reports related to the incident, one involving the suspect smashing a resident’s car window with an iron rod, and the other involving a break-in at the resident’s flat unit. Both acts were committed by the suspect before his violent outburst. Concerned for their safety, residents contacted the police after witnessing the man behaving in an uncontrollable and aggressive manner,” he said.
Further investigations are underway to identify the man, as he possessed no identification documents and residents claimed they did not know who he was.
