Three were killed when police officers involved in shootouts with members of an empty house theft gang near the Sudirman overpass in Tangerang municipality on Thursday morning.
Tangerang Metro police detective chief Comr. Budhi Herdi Susisanto said the incident began when the gang members tried to steal a Kijang minivan in a house left empty in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta at about 2 a.m.
“The gang escaped before they managed to steal the car because they were aware of being observed by two officers of the Pesanggrahan subprecinct police who were sitting on a motorcycle,” Budhi said.
The two officers chased the gang with the motorycle until Cileduk area but they lost the Kijang minivan there.
Budi said, minutes later, his officers were informed that the gang members had made off with cash of Rp 780,000 and two cellular phones they stole from a soybean store still in Cileduk.
“CCTV installed at the store recorded and identified the faces of the gang members before they turned it off,” he said.
The gang then also tried to steal in a travel agent office which also functions as a motorcycle dealer on Jl. Boulevard Graha Raya Regency, in Kunciran district, Tangerang municipality.
“The thieves then escaped to Jl. KH. Hasyim Ashari after they realized that security officers at the complex were aware of their presence,” he said.
When the gang arrived at Usadi Insani Hospital in Cipondoh, two officers identified them and tried to chase the car.
“Since it was difficult to stop the car, the two officers produced warning shots but the gang members replied with repeated shots so that shootouts was inevitable,” Budhi said.
Officers then shot driver identified as Ujang so that the uncontrolled LGX Kijang Minivan B 7838 MI then crossed the median and hit a passing motorcycle belonging to Gatot Raharjo, a resident of Jl. Angin Pusar, West Semper district, North Jakarta. Gatot died instantly at the scene.
After the car stopped, officers shot two other gang member identified as Lukman and Imron for trying to escape. Lukman died but Imron managed to escape with a motorcycle belonging to Tusiran, a local resident.
Two other members of the gang identified as Erik, 20 and Asmin, 45 finally surrendered after officers’ bullet injured them to their back.
Officers seized an FN Postol, eight active bullets and two cellular phones, a crossbar and a letter T key from the thieves as evidence.
“The gang members are all residivists of Cirebon Prison and they had specified empty houses/buildings as target of their crime,” Budhi said.
Boy Iskandar, an eye witness at the shootouts scene said that he was having breakfast when he heard sound of repeated shots.
“I thought it was just the sound of broken car tire because the shot sound was just like a blowing tire but when I looked out, I saw two men trying to escape toward different directions from the car,” he said.
He said one of the men fell on ground after officer shot him while another one managed to escape after pointing his gun to a motorcyclist.
“I also saw the car hit a passing motorcycle and the dead rider was flanked between the car and his motorcycle,” he added.
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