SIBU: Refusing to be instructed to comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP) when entering Sibu Central Market here last Saturday (Oct 10), two men punched a security guard.
Sibu district police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit, who confirmed the incident, said the two suspects, aged 25 and 39, was believed to be drunk at the time of the incident.
He said the incident happened at 11.45am at Gate 1 of the central market.
“The 31-year-old security guard, who is also the complainant, caught the two suspects not recording their names and temperature readings down in the registration book provided.
“One of the suspects punched the complainant while the other resisted the latter from behind,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Oct 11).
According to Stanley, during the incident, the victim and his colleagues were on their duties, monitoring the public at the entrance of the central market to ensure that the SOPs were complied with.
“The two suspects, who were under the influence of alcohol, went towards a table where the complainant was, to write their names down. Both of them did not wear face masks and skipped the queue.
“The complainant then stopped the suspects for failing to comply with the SOP, and got them about 10 metres away from the Sibu Gate 1 Market Gate 1 route.
“While at the scene, there was an altercation between the victim with one of the suspects with the other behind the former.
“Suddenly the complainant was punched in the back of his head from behind, while the suspect whom he was arguing with continued to resist him,” Stanley said.
Stanley added that the suspect, who punched the victim, fled the scene but was eventually caught by members of the public across the street.
Meanwhile, the other suspect, he said, had disappeared shortly after the incident.
“The Investigating Officer and his team brought the arrested suspect along to look for his friend, who is still at large, at a house at Lorong Rambutan, but failed to locate him.
“The suspect, therefore, was remanded on Sunday to assist police investigation,” he said.
Stanley said the case will be investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting and Regulation 3 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) (No 7) 2020 Regulations for violating the SOP.
