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On Jakarta's mean streets, even elderly not spared
The violence was recorded in a video that later went viral on social media.
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In the early hours of Sunday morning, 89-year-old Jakarta resident Wiyanto Halim was beaten to death by an angry mob that had falsely accused him of stealing his own car. (Shutterstock/File)
I
n the early hours of Sunday morning, 89-year-old Jakarta resident Wiyanto Halim was beaten to death by an angry mob that had falsely accused him of stealing his own car.
The violence was recorded in a video that later went viral on social media.
According to Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Endra Zulpan, the confrontation started when Wiyanto, who was driving home at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, accidentally scraped a motorcycle in Pulogadung, East Jakarta.
"The 23-year-old motorcycle rider, identified as JI, felt he had been harmed in the incident and screamed 'thief' at the victim," Zulpan said on Tuesday, as reported by Antara.
JI's yelling attracted the attention of other motorcyclists, according to the account, who later joined him in pursuit of Wiyanto's car under the false pretense that he had stolen the car.
Two police officers in a patrol car, Zulpan said, witnessed the incident and joined the chase. They tried to pull over both Wiyanto and the fleet of motorcycles in pursuit but failed.
The fleet, consisting of more than a dozen young motorcyclists, eventually managed to stop Wiyanto's car in Pulo Kambing street, Pulogadung. The mob then attacked the car, dragged Wiyanto out of the vehicle, and beat him with rocks, wooden planks and helmets.
