SHAH ALAM: A witness in the inquest into the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim told the Coroner's Court that he saw a group of 20 to 30 people chasing a fire rescue tender (FRT) truck along a street near the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year.
Media marketing officer Chan Wei Jie, 24, said he saw the group while he was in a Perodua Kancil driven by his uncle, Yong Wah Kuan, 49, as they were stuck in traffic in Jalan Usaha near the temple about 1.15am.
He said there were between four to six other vehicles in front of the Kancil as well as the FRT and Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) van.
(The inquest has established that the EMRS van was behind the FRT when it arrived outside the temple to put out a vehicle fire on Nov 27. Adib was among two firefighters manning the EMRS van)
Chan, who was fielding questions from deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin, said he heard 'cars crashing’ before he saw the FRT reversing.
He said that "three to five people" also attacked the EMRS van.
He said in the commotion, he saw both the FRT truck and van reversing from the oncoming mob. He said the EMRS van had got out of the path of the FRT when it reversed.
“I heard the sound of cars crashing and then I saw a fire truck reversing. I saw a man with a stick hitting the truck. The truck reversed towards us and banged my car."
Chan said, before the EMRS van left the scene, he saw the van's left sliding door open, its rear window broken. He also saw a person in the crowd throwing a helmet into the van.
However, he could not see if any firefighter had exited the EMRS van.
Chan then explained to Faten Hadni and Coroner Rofiah Mohamad about the attack.
Faten Hadni: You saw a man hitting (the truck) with a stick. What else did you see in terms of the people there?
Chan: I saw people giving chase. I saw people taking videos. I saw a person hitting the van with his hands.
Faten Hadni: And this happened before the collision?
Chan: Yes.
Faten Hadni: How many people were chasing the vehicle?
Chan: A lot. About 20 to 30 people.
Coroner Rofiah Mohamad: These people were chasing the vehicle?
Chan: Yes.
Faten Hadni: What about the people who hit the vehicle? Were you near the van?
Chan: I couldn't tell because my view was blocked. But three to five people were hitting the van.
Faten Hadni: Could you see anything happening in front of the truck before it started to reverse?
Chan: No.
Faten Hadni: When the truck started to reverse, did you see what happened?
Chan: I couldn't see.
Faten Hadni: Why? Was your view obstructed?
Chan: I was actually four to six vehicles away from the fire truck.
He said when the FRT and EMRS left the area, about 10 people from the same mob went to his Perodua Kancil and shouted at them.
"They were shouting things like 'Jangan' (don't), 'Berhenti' (stop) and 'Turun' (get down). At first they were just shouting, but when my uncle tried to start the car, they started to hit the car. They used their bare hands and a stick (to hit the car).
"One man climbed on the bonnet of the car)," said Chan.
He said he exited the car when the situation calmed down and saw that his windows were shattered and that the car's front bumper and bonnet were damaged.
Chan said he talked to some members of the group who surrounded the car when the commotion died down. He said the group was accommodating after he explained his and his uncle's situation.
He said three members of the group escorted them out of the area.
“When we were leaving the scene, some people from the group spoke with us, some of them said sorry. Some asked us to go to the police station," said Chan.
It was claimed that Adib, 24, died of severe injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year.
He had been part of an emergency response team dispatched to the scene to put out a vehicle fire. Adib died on Dec 17.