Suluk man loitering near woman's toilet runs amok

KOTA KINABALU: An unemployed Suluk man believed to be mentally ill, ran amok after police stopped him from loitering near a women's toilet and being a nuisance to people who wanted to use it.

The 24-year-old man, a former Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang patient, was causing a nuisance at a petrol station in Tanjung Aru at about 11.55am Sunday when police were called in.

However, the suspect threw a hammer at the police vehicle when approached and sped off on his bicycle.

Police caught up with the suspect near the mosque several kilometres away and tried to talk to him but the man refused to listen.

City police chief Assist Comm M. Chandra said the suspect instead smashed the police vehicle's screen using the hammer.

"He was caught when a police patrol unit came to assist," he said, adding that a brief scuffle broke out as the suspect refused to release the hammer.

The suspect was placed in handcuffs and no one was hurt in the incident.

Apart from the hammer, a hand knife and a metal chain found in the man's pockets were also seized.

The suspect will be referred to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation.