Everything You Wanted To Know About The Mob Violence At Low Yat Plaza That Left 5 Injured
Several reporters and a bar staff have been hurt after a protest gathering near Low Yat Plaza turned rowdy on Sunday night, 12 July.
By Sadho Ram — 13 Jul 2015, 05:52 PM
What started as a fight between a group of seven customers and OPPO store sales clerks inside Low Yat Plaza on Saturday night, a day later blew out of proportion and turned into an issue of race
According to the police, Saturday night's brawl saw a group of seven men attacking mall staff who apprehended their friend for theft. While details are sketchy, four out of those seven people were arrested in connection to the brawl.
However, after videos of the brawl made its way to the Internet, online debates on the matter has been highly polarised as, it turned out, the mall staffs were mostly Chinese while the seven youths were all Malays.
Some claim that the Malays were taking revenge on behalf of their friend who they claim was cheated. Although, the police later confirmed that there was an element of theft involved, Malaysiakini reported.
On Sunday night at around 7pm, in an apparent continuation of Saturday's fiasco, a group of about 200 people, believed to have been led by Malay-Muslim group Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Se-Malaysia, gathered outside Low Yat Plaza
The group, claiming to have gathered to protest against the "biased investigations" by the police on the Saturday's case, later tried to enter the main entrance of the Plaza at about 8.30pm.
However, about 20 to 30 police officers, including plain-clothes policemen who were deployed at the scene to monitor the situation, managed to prevent them from entering the Plaza. Following which, Low Yat Plaza was shuttered by about 9pm. Police eventually cordoned off the area with yellow tape to prevent the group from gathering.
A man claiming to be an Ayahanda (Pekida leader) proclaimed that they're standing up for the man who was beaten up by mall staff
"We want to get fairness and justice. We want to show MCMC (Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission) justice. We don't want counterfeit goods here. "We will sent lawyers to help," he said.
However, the man denied that his group was motivated by racism and violence. "Inside the picture (of yesterday's scuffle) it's not just Malays and Chinese. We are from Islamic NGO. I am from Pekida Malaysia," he said while declining to elaborate further.
However, after briefly dispersing, the crowd regrouped at 12am and tensions were reignited outside the Plaza just after midnight when a huge fight broke out between two groups. Some parts of the crowd began assaulting people at random, including a bar staff and several journalists, who were reportedly injured in the incident.
An eyewitness said a group of 50 to 60 men barged into a food outlet near the Plaza and assaulted the patrons with motorcycle helmets at around midnight, The Star reported. Among those believed to have been targeted was a media photographer. A journalist who tried to protect the photographer was also beaten up.
According to the reporter, a group of people shielded the two journalists from the angry mob. The two later sought shelter in a nearby hotel.
At press time, it is believed that the police have detained six individuals involved in the mob attack. Two Federal Reserve Unit vehicles were deployed to the scene at 1am.
There were also sounds of explosions heard at the scene. Police have cordoned off the main road entrance to the shopping complex.
All journalists were barred from being in the Jalan Bukit Bintang-Jalan Alor-Jalan Bulan-Jalan Imbi area. The press were also threatened with arrest if they refused, reported Malaysiakini.
Meanwhile, the New Straits Times is reporting that the police have solved the case. According to NST, police sources said the case was a clear-cut theft involving a 22-year-old suspect, who took away a smartphone from a store at Low Yat Plaza without paying.
"Investigation revealed that the man had stolen a phone, which led to him being arrested by public members. Police have also acquired CCTV recordings, which showed him discussing with a sales representative, before he took the phone and walked away when the trader was looking the other way."
More screenshots of the police report shared on social media.
A video taken by a witness at the scene of the commotion showing several guys attacking the trader dressed in a green t-shirt
During the fiasco, a man in a white shirt standing on an elevated stage was seen giving a racially charged speech