The police have arrested a total of 44 individuals following a brawl at Low Yat Plaza, Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 5 December
According to Berita Harian, Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said three of the arrested individuals are women, while the rest are men — all aged between 20 and 35.
Mohamad Zainal said those arrested are shop owners, employees, and members of the public.
“Preliminary investigations found that the cause of the fight had nothing to do with racial issues, but instead stemmed from a group of traders who were dissatisfied with their customers being taken by others,” the district police chief explained.
Videos of the brawl were widely circulated over the weekend, showing a large group of people gathering without physical distancing
Some individuals can be seen not wearing face masks as they throw punches at each other. One man even sends a flying kick towards an individual’s face amidst the chaos.
The videos also show several security guards in reflective vests trying to break off the fight among rioters, but to no avail.
The brawl attracted hundreds of onlookers at the electronics shopping centre, most of them failing to practise physical distancing as well.
While the videos of the incident may be riveting, the police urged members of the public to stop sharing them to avoid causing unease in the community
Mohamad Zainal also urged those with information about the brawl to come forward to the police to assist in the investigation.
The 44 suspects who were arrested will be remanded until today, 7 December, and the case is currently being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for committing riots.
Image via Berita Harian