Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD has called on the National Police to launch a probe into a road rage incident that has drawn widespread condemnation after footage of the clash went viral online over the weekend.
In the video, which was first shared on Twitter by a victim of the incident early on Sunday, the driver of a Toyota Fortuner SUV is seen apparently threatening the driver of a yellow Brio sedan with a sword, later smashing the sedan's windshield with what appeared to be an airsoft gun before driving the SUV into the side of the smaller vehicle.
"This is in Jakarta. This looks like a gangster film. People need to know if this is a debt-collecting problem or whether it was shot to create viral content. Either way, this kind of thing should not have happened. This needs an investigation," Mahfud posted in a tweet on Sunday, while also mentioning the Twitter handle of the National Police public relations department @DivHumas_Polri.
Responding to the incident, the Jakarta Police said that they had launched a probe following a report filed by the alleged victim in the incident.
Spokesperson for the Jakarta Police Sr. Comr. Trunoyudo Wisnu said the incident occurred in the Senopati neighborhood of South Jakarta in the early hours of Sunday.
Later on Sunday, a 24-year old man reported himself to the South Jakarta Police and claimed he was the man driving the SUV filmed in the incident. The police said after brief questioning he was allowed to go home.