Violent gangs of preman (street thugs) on motorcycles have long been a menace in the capital and throughout Indonesia. The latest attack by a motorcycle gang occurred in the early hours of this morning in the upscale, expat-haven neighborhood of Kemang in South Jakarta, and led to 5 people being injured.
Videos of the attack went viral after being shared by @jktinfo, a news aggregator account on Instagram. In one video, dozens of preman on motorcycles stopped in the middle of the street to tip over and smash motorcycles that were parked in front of a restaurant.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf7PLAYFVOX/?taken-by=jktinfo
According to the Jakarta Metro Police, the attack occurred at around 1:30am in the parking lot of Dronk Restaurant and Bar. More attacks were apparently carried out that weren’t captured on video, with the police saying that 5 people sustained light injuries such as cuts and bruises after being attacked by the gang.
“Officers searched the areas surrounding Jalan Kemang Raya for the gang, but they had already left the location,” said Jakarta Metro Police Spokesperson Argo Yuwono, as quoted by Okezone today.
Argo said the police have yet to identify the gang.
On Sunday at 4am, less than 24 hours before the attack, a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police officer was beaten up and stabbed by several unknown men in the same area. Witnesses told the police that the officer was seen running out of Dronk before being attacked by the assailants in front of a minimarket nearby. The officer survived and is currently in hospital.
Argo said the police have yet to determine if there was a link between the two incidents.
