JOHOR BARU, March 5 — Fourteen men between the ages of 19 and 46 have been arrested as suspects in a brawl here yesterday that left a 20-year-old Malaysian injured in front of the Sports Hub badminton complex on Jalan Austin Heights 7 here.
Johor Baru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said that the suspects were rounded up by the district Criminal Investigation Department’s anti-vice, anti-gambling and secret society suppression division in an operation from 12.55am to 3am today.
“Checks revealed that 10 of the suspects had previous records related to crime and drug abuse. The other four suspects had no criminal records.
“Investigators also found that the suspects were not on the wanted list for other cases and had all tested negative for drug abuse,” he said in a statement today.
District police were initially looking for 20 men in the armed brawl.
mounted a district-wide manhunt for 20 men involved in a gang clash with weapons in front of the Sports Hub on Jalan Austin Heights 7 here yesterday.
Raub said all 14 suspects are under remand for three days until Friday to assist in investigations.
“The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief with loss or damage to property and Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting with weapons or dangerous objects,” he said.
In the 1.30am incident, a 20-year-old man in a four-wheel drive vehicle was attacked by a group of individuals armed with metal rods and baseball bats and suffered injuries to his right elbow and left palm from broken glass fragments.
The victim’s vehicle was also damaged during the gang fight.
Police believe the fight was triggered by a misunderstanding between two groups near a food premises, which also led to property damage.
