IPOH: A policeman was injured today after a man, believed to be mentally ill, ran amok with a meat cleaver at the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) station here.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the police were alerted to the incident at 2.45pm and quickly responded to the scene.
"Upon arrival, policemen saw the suspect brandishing the cleaver. When they attempted to approach him, he acted aggressively, swinging the cleaver at them multiple times.
"This prompted them to use minimal force to subdue the 31-year-old man. During the struggle, one of the policemen sustained an injury to his left elbow," he said when contacted today.
Abang Zainal Abidin said the injured 35-year-old policeman was taken to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital for treatment.
"Further checks revealed that the unemployed man, from Taiping, had previous criminal cases involving drugs.
"The incident has also gone viral on social media, and the suspect has been sent to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta for an initial assessment, as he is suspected of having mental health issues," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, which carries a minimum jail term of five years and a maximum of 10 years upon conviction.