Two cops slashed by mental patient in KK hostage drama

Policemen outside the locked room trying to persuade the man to surrender and release his mother.

KOTA KINABALU: Two policemen were slashed by a mental patient with a meat cleaver after they stormed into a house to free the man’s mother at Manggatal near here.

A police team was earlier sent to the house at Taman Jaya Diri after being alerted to a mentally unstable person who had run amok with the weapon and locked himself in a bedroom with his mother and elder sister at 2.30pm on Monday (July 17).

He had also roughed up his sister, it was learned.

Kota Kinabalu OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said police at the scene tried to persuade the 42-year-old man to surrender and let go of his hostages.

The man, however, refused to give up and only released his sister.

The police then spent almost two hours trying to coax him to relent but the man was not having it.

When there were no signs of the suspect cooperating, the policemen broke through the door and stormed inside to rescue the mother, ACP Mohd Zaidi said.

“But the suspect retaliated aggressively and a struggle ensued between him and the police,” ACP Mohd Zaidi said on Tuesday (July 18).

“The suspect managed to slash one of our senior officers and a sarjan.

“They sustained arm, head and shoulder injuries while the suspect had light facial injuries. His mother was unhurt,” he added.

The policemen were reported to be in good condition after receiving treatment.

ACP Mohd Zaidi said the suspect was a patient at the Bukit Padang psychiatric hospital here.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.

He added that the man faced a maximum of 20 years in jail if found guilty.