Videos have gone viral of the drama that unfolded in Genting Highlands when a man, believed to be drunk, drove his 4WD into the Lim Goh Tong memorial hall.
- Believed to be drunk, on drugs
- Police pointed sub-machinegun at suspect to force him out of truck
- Seen topless, forcibly removed from vehicle
- Possibly lost money at casino
A heavily intoxicated man crashed his pick-up truck into the Lim Goh Tong Memorial Hall in Genting Highland yesterday afternoon, in what appears to be an alleged suicide attempt.
Bentong district police chief Superintendent Yusuf Unis said police were notified of the incident at about 4.15pm.
“We were alerted to the incident by the Genting Highlands police after the driver of the Isuzu D-Max vehicle crashed into the memorial compound and threatened to take his own life with a knife which he held to his neck, after the crash,” he said in a statement.
Eyewitnesses and police at the scene managed to overpower the man before he harmed himself.
The man was detained and taken to the Genting Highlands police station for further questioning.
Yusuf said the case is being investigated under Section 427 and Section 309 of the Penal Code for acts of treason and suicide attempt.
Meanwhile, Resorts World Genting, in a statement, confirmed the accident at the Lim Goh Tong Memorial Park compound.
“The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries while the memorial hall was also slightly damaged. No other motorists were injured in the incident,” it read.
Several videos of the incident recorded by bystanders showed the suspect ignoring police orders to surrender, continuing to rev the engine to enter further into the hall.
However, the vehicle was stuck at the staircase leading to the entrance of the hall. The rear left tyre had burnt out as the driver kept flooring the accelerator.
The footage also showed a police officer pointing his sub-machine gun at the suspect, hoping that would force him out of the truck.
“One of the officers used a baton to break the window and managed to overpower him.
“Other policemen joined in and arrested the suspect. No shots were fired in the incident,” the Malay Mail reported being told by a police source.
The suspect was also believed to be high on drugs and investigations are underway to determine the motive behind the bizarre incident.
“Investigations are underway to determine what the suspect was doing prior to the incident.
“There is a possibility that the suspect had lost money at the Genting Highland’s casino and was frustrated,” the source was quoted saying.
The man appeared to be topless when he was forcibly removed from his truck.
