Could it be said that some Indonesians care more about scoring a potentially viral video with their phones than, well, dying? One could certainly be inclined to believe that if the viral video below were what they had to go by.
Hanya di Indonesia, polisi lagi tembak-tembakan vs perampok bank, masyarakat nonton sambil ngerekam pidio dari jarak 7 meter setengah.
lokasi: Bank BNI Dumai
(via ig: lambe turah) pic.twitter.com/c12Th2bZqj— ig @abintangtimur (@bintangbete) March 12, 2019
In the video, police officers in the Indonesian city of Dumai in the province of Riau went guns blazing into an active bank robbery site. Amazingly (and not in the positive sense of that word), several bystanders, including the person who took the video above, were only several yards away from the shootout yet did not seem at all fazed by the risk of getting hit by stray bullets. The bystanders continued to film even after a gunshot was heard from inside the bank.
“Only in Indonesia, when there’s a police shootout with a bank robber, people watch the whole thing while recording it from a distance of seven and a half meters,” local standup comedian Bintang Bete quipped on Twitter.
The video was taken yesterday morning at a National Bank of Indonesia 46 (BNI 46) branch in Dumai. Another video shows that the sole suspect (in red shirt), identified as 44-year-old Gono, was eventually apprehended by the police.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2qp-RnbKK/
Gono, a man from Pacitan Regency of East Java who reportedly works as a bandrek (Sundanese sweet and spicy hot beverage) seller, entered the bank carrying a machete and a jerry can that contained fuel. Police say he went berserk once inside the building, destroying parts of the bank and threatening its employees, who immediately ran outside as he swung his machete.
Police soon arrived at the scene and shot Gono in his left leg after the suspect refused to surrender. He was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment and then to police station for questioning.
According to Dumai Police Chief Restika Nainggolan, Gono allegedly wanted to make a scene and burn the bank down but didn’t intend to actually rob it.
However, Restika said police will continue to explore Gono’s motives and conduct a psychiatric examination because he kept changing his testimony to investigators.
“He claimed he wanted to imitate a scene in an action film he watched [prior to the incident], that’s why he brought a machete and fuel. He didn’t get to burn [the bank] because he was shot by the police officer,” Restika said, as quoted by Merdeka.
Gono may potentially be charged with using weapons to cause a public disturbance and may face up to five years in prison if convicted. As a result of yesterday’s incident, BNI 46’s Dumai branch has tightened their security.
Many Indonesians seem to have a morbid fascination with scenes of crime and/or accidents (have you ever been stuck in traffic only to find out that people have stopped in the middle of the road to get a good look of a fresh auto accident?). Perhaps the most notable example of this was when Central Jakarta’s Sarinah, which was the site of the deadly terrorist attack in 2016, became a popular destination for selfie takers soon after the attack.
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