Adib inquest: Fireman seen sandwiched between van and car, says technician

SHAH ALAM: A fireman was seen sandwiched between an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van and a parked car during the commotion near the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple.

Air conditioning technician Budd Mohsin, who is the 20th witness in the inquest into the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, told the Coroner's Court on Tuesday (March 19) that he earlier saw the fireman coming out from the EMRS van.

Budd said that he was at the vicinity of the temple as he was meeting with his friend Hardeep Singh, who was a security guard at a gated community on the opposite of the temple.

Budd said he also saw a fireman came out from the left passenger side of a fire engine when some people in the crowd started throwing objects at the vehicle, saying that it was parked in front of the EMRS van at that time.

"I then saw a group of people walking towards both the fire engine and the van. The fireman who came down from the left side of the fire engine saw this and went back into the vehicle and closed the door," he said.

He added that at this time, the group was attacking the fire engine with objects such as bottles and wooden sticks.

"Another fireman who was between the rear of the fire engine and the front of the van ran to the van and entered through its sliding door. He then closed the door," Budd said.

He said that the third fireman went out from the passenger side of the EMRS van. He was standing near the left side of the van.

"When he saw the crowd, he (seemed to) run towards a petrol station. At the same time, the fire engine reversed and hit the van behind," Budd said.

"The fireman became sandwiched between the van (that was reversing due to being pushed by the fire engine) and a car that was parked on the side," he said, adding that the fireman then fell on the road.

When asked by DPP Hamdan Hamzah, who is leading the three-member team from the Attorney General's Chambers, on what happened next, Budd said that he saw people carrying the fireman towards the petrol station.

Judge Rofiah Mohamad sits as the coroner for the inquest.

The inquest continues on Wednesday (March 20).

Muhammad Adib, 24, was critically injured when he and his team members from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency at the temple following riots last November.

He was taken to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre before being transferred to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for further treatment.

He died at IJN on Dec 17, at 9.41pm.