Real-life drama is often different from high speed cop chases seen in movies. It is a rare sight to see the police in action on a day-to-day basis.
However, a policeman was filmed executing a martial art kick on a runaway motorcyclist in Sarawak, Malaysia at about 12.25pm on Tuesday (25 Aug).
The incident reportedly occurred after the motorcyclist attempted to escape from a police spot check. Investigations are currently underway.
At the start of the 15-second clip on Facebook, one of the police officers involved in a spot check gestured for a group of motorcyclists to stop.
The video, shot on an onlooker’s camera phone, shows the motorcyclist hastily making a U-turn to avoid the spot check.
An officer could be seen dashing towards the vehicle to deliver what seems to be a roundhouse kick as the motorist tried to accelerate away from the scene.
The motorcyclist can be seen losing his balance, falling off his bike.
Somehow, the kick reminds us of the movie Rush Hour, in which Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker play cops who fight thugs with good old fashioned kung fu.
You may expect the police officer to be praised for his spontaneous action but that was not the case.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail responded to the video saying that the police officer in question is currently under investigation for the kick, which caused the motorcyclist to collapse from his bike.
Stern action will be taken should the officer be found guilty of negligence and taking aggressive action during the course of duty, reports New Straits Times.
Preliminary findings revealed that the motorcyclist was riding without a driving licence.
The bike also had a modified exhaust system and an expired road tax.
According to Malaysian English daily The Star, Assistant Commissioner of Police Stanley Jonathan Ringgit advised motorists to avoid making U-turns at spot checks as it could lead to officers suspecting that a person is evading arrest.
Though inconvenient, spot checks have to be conducted in an orderly fashion lest one risks starting a GTA-style cop chase.
We can’t help but be reminded of a similar incident that took place last year on our little red dot.
On 12 Dec 2019, a Certis CISCO officer kicked down a personal mobility device (PMD) rider who refused to stop after repeated warnings from fellow officers.
The PMD rider was sent tumbling onto the pavement.
Both the rider and the auxiliary police officer were injured in the incident.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the proper procedure is to note down the appearance of an “escaping PMD user” before lodging a report to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The officer involved was suspended from active duty due to his mishandling of the issue.
A similarity between the Malaysia and Singapore incident is that both law enforcement officers took matters into their own hands.
Road users must also play their part in road safety to avoid instigating trouble with the law.
In short, playing by the rules keeps everyone safe.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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