UPDATE: Police in Bali has officially named Ryan Mattew, the American who caused a major traffic incident in South Kuta, a suspect. He also tested positive for drugs during a medical examination following the incident.
An American who caused a major traffic incident in South Kuta yesterday evening is facing criminal charges for violation of Indonesia’s traffic law, police said today, who added that he has yet to be questioned because he is still under the influence of alcohol.
Speaking at a press conference today, Denpasar Police Chief Ruddi Setiawan identified the man as Ryan Mattew from California. Mattew allegedly drove his car and hit a number of motorcycles, only to be chased by an angry crowd who reportedly threw rocks at his car in an attempt to stop him from driving away.
Videos of the chase quickly became viral on social media, with initial reports placing the number of victims at 22. However, police said only three were hospitalized and that they were the ones whose motorcycles were hit by Mattew’s car.
Available footage also showed that the chasing went on for a while, until Mattew finally stopped and got out of his car, only to be met with angry men shouting and hitting him, which was then put to a stop by several others at the scene.
“[Mattew] is not a suspect just yet because we can’t question him right now [as he is still under the influence of alcohol], but he will definitely be charged with articles under 2009 law on traffic,” Ruddi said, specifying that one of those charges will be for violation of Article 311 on negligent driving, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Mattew’s case reminds us of another bizarre incident that took place in August, when Australian Nicholas Carr fly-kicked a man off a moving scooter while he was heavily intoxicated, for which he served four months in prison.
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