Police in West Sumatra have charged five Harley-Davidson riders in connection to the assault of two military personnel on Friday.
According to reports, at around 4:30pm, a group of around a dozen Harley riders from West Java were driving through Bukittinggi, West Sumatra as part of their tour of the island when they encountered the victims on the road.
The victims, who wore civilian clothing, initially let some of the Harley riders overtake them. Then, some stragglers from the group revved their loud engines to catch up with the rest, startling the victims as they fell off their motorcycle.
The victims then hopped on their motorcycle to catch up to the Harley riders and cursed at them. The group stopped and some assaulted the two men, despite having been warned that they were military sergeants.
Videos of the assault have gone viral over the weekend and the incident was extensively covered by local media.
The Harley group’s tour was cut short following the incident as local authorities investigated the matter. Despite the group offering apologies to the victims and the public, as of this morning, the West Sumatra Police have charged five of the Harley riders with assault, which is punishable by up to five years in prison under the Criminal Code (KUHP).
As of yesterday, reports said that the two victims were still being treated at a local hospital. Details about their injuries were not disclosed, but they were said to be conscious and recovering well.
Adding spice to this case is the fact that the tour was led by former Army Strategic Reserves commander Djamari Chaniago, as confirmed by the West Sumatra Police, though there is no indication that he was directly involved in the assault. Muradi, an advisor to National Police Chief Idham Azis, was also registered on the tour but has since clarified that he was not present at the time of the assault.
