A visitor to Pluit Village Mall in North Jakarta suffered a head injury after he was struck by a chunk of concrete that was thrown by a teenager in an incident that occurred back in February but which is recently making headlines in the country after police say the crime was racially motivated.
According to Detik, the victim, named Rouli Simanjuntak, was looking at cars at an exhibition on the mall’s ground floor when he was hit by a projectile thrown by a 19-year-old male identified as Leonardo.
“The victim suffered a severe injury on the left side of his forehead, which resulted in him being hospitalized,” Jakarta Metropolitan Police’s General Crimes Unit Chief Herman Edco said in a statement to Detik today.
Leonardo’s motivation for throwing the cement was revealed during a police reconstruction of the incident today.
“Leonardo hates Chinese products. At that time there was a car exhibition (at the mall) and he believes that Chinese cars imitate products made by other countries. That’s why he wanted to destroy those cars,” Herman told Detik.
Police have charged Leonardo with assault and he could face up to two years and eight months in prison if convicted.
Additionally, the mall’s manager on duty at the time was also charged with negligence for failing to provide medical aid to Rouli immediately after the incident, as the victim reportedly made his own way to the hospital to get treated.
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