JOHOR BARU: Police have confirmed that the video of a Singapore-registered driver who refused to stop after being instructed to do so on the Johor Causeway en route to the country is an old one.
The 17-second video was shared on multiple social media platforms on Thursday before it went viral with over 100,000 likes and mostly negative comments about how foreigners, specifically Singaporeans, were exploiting the traffic regulations in Johor.
Johor Baru (South) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said the footage was of an incident that occurred on Sept 23, last year at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar.
The footage depicted a Malaysian traffic policeman instructing a Honda Civic driver to stop, after he was believed to have jumped the queue in the visibly congested road.
The driver had been using the designated bus and lorry lane before swaying back into the car lane.
The policemen instructed the driver to roll down his car's window, but the driver refused and continued to drive away, prompting the officer to stand in front of the vehicle while grasping its side mirror in an attempt to stop the driver from continuing to move. It was then when the recording stopped.
Raub declined further comment on the incident but said that the driver was not detained and his vehicle had been blacklisted.
He added that the investigation would resume after additional evidence had been gathered.
When a blacklist is initiated, the vehicle is banned from re-entering Malaysia.
He also urged members of the public to exercise caution when sharing videos and making comments on social media platforms, as it can lead to speculation and negative presumptions.