A mob, reportedly comprising Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, ransacked and burned down part of Ciracas Police station in East Jakarta on Tuesday night, damaging official vehicles and leaving several officers injured.

According to a police report received by The Jakarta Post, the mob of some 100 men arrived at the police station that night as they were not satisfied with the way the police had handled an assault case that occurred the previous day, in which a naval officer was attacked by a number of parking attendants.

“At around 10:20 p.m., the East Jakarta Police chief arrived at the Ciracas Police station at the same time as a crowd of around 100 people, allegedly military personnel,” the report said.

East Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Yoyon Tony Surya Putra had tried to mollify the crowd, explaining that the police were working on the assault case. However, the crowd knocked him down, along with the Ciracas Police chief and two other officers.

By midnight, the crowd had beaten up all police officers on duty in the station and ransacked the building and parked vehicles, according to the police report.

The situation was brought under control at around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Seven people were detained at the police station and were later transferred to the Jakarta Police Headquarters detention center.

The ransacked police station has been sealed off and no services are being provided there.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono confirmed the incident in a press briefing on Wednesday.

“Two injured officers have been released from hospital, but one victim is still being treated at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital,” he said.

Argo said the mob was angry that the police had not yet arrested the alleged attackers of Komaruddin, a captain in the Navy, in a parking lot in front of the Arundina shop in Ciracas on Monday.

At that time, Komaruddin and his son were riding their motorcycle when they realized that the bike’s exhaust pipe was smoking. He stopped in the parking lot and bent down to check the engine. Unaware of Komaruddin’s presence, a parking attendant tried to move the motorbike hitting Komaruddin on the head.

“Capt. Komaruddin then scolded the parking attendant. However, the attendant took offense and they ended up quarreling,” Tony said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

The quarrel attracted the attention of other parking attendants, who then proceeded to beat Komaruddin.

According to Tony, both sides have agreed to conclude the matter in peaceful dialogue.

“There was an assault, but as the victim wants to finish this case in peace, the police will facilitate it,” he said.

Following the riot, one of Komaruddin’s alleged attackers was arrested on Wednesday, Argo said.

“At 8:30 a.m., the police arrested a suspect for beating the victim in the Cibubur parking lot. The suspect has been identified [only] as AP, a parking attendant and resident of Ciracas, East Jakarta,” he said. “We arrested him at his home. He was still asleep. We took him to the Jakarta Police headquarters.”

According to Argo, AP held Komaruddin’s arm to prevent him from fighting back while AP’s friends beat him. He said the police were looking for other suspects identified only as I, H and D, who allegedly also beat
Komaruddin.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said he would coordinate with the city’s parking agency to manage parking so that violence in parking lots would not happen again.

“In relation to parking, we will discuss a review about what needs to be evaluated,” he said. (sau)

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