Four Policemen Injured in Machete Attack in Kedah by Man with Mental Illness

On Friday (Feb 14), a man in Sungai Petani, Kedah, caused chaos after he attacked police officers with a machete.

In the incident, around 3 pm, the suspect was found in a locked house when the police arrived.

While they were trying to persuade him to hand himself in, the suspect acted aggressively, including swinging a machete.

According to BERNAMA, witness Mohd Soyuti Abdullah, 50, said he was sitting in front of his house when he heard people fighting.

“Then, I saw a man with a machete chasing two cops. I saw the man swing his long machete and strike one of the policemen before running into his family’s house and locking the door.”

Mohd Soyuti said he and other residents helped the two injured officers before they were taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile, another witness said he did not expect the suspect to act aggressively to injure the policemen who came to calm him down, as he had always been a quiet person who rarely mingled with his neighbours.

“We didn’t know the suspect had mental health issues. Although he had been living with his parents here for almost a year, they kept to themselves most of the time. It is believed that the suspect had not been taking his medication for a while and that caused him to act aggressively.”

Following the incident, four policemen suffered injuries to multiple parts of their bodies, including their heads, after being slashed with the machete.

Kuala Muda district police chief ACP Wan Azharuddin Wan Ismail said the two injured personnel could go home after treatment. At the same time, the other two were still being treated in hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.

“I confirm that we have received a report on the incident and that four police personnel were injured while arresting the suspect,” he told reporters at the Kuala Muda district police headquarters (IPD) on Saturday (Feb 15).

According to Wan Azharuddin, the 32-year-old male suspect, who had been shot during the incident, was pronounced dead while being treated at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) at 1:04 am on Saturday.

“As the police were about to arrest the suspect, he swung a machete, prompting the officers to open fire in self-defence. The suspect was later taken to the hospital and was confirmed dead while receiving treatment.”

We wish the officers a speedy recovery.

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