KULAI: An initial argument over seats at Miri Airport's boarding gate escalated into an alleged gang assault near Senai International Airport yesterday.
District police chief Superintendent Tan Seng Lee said the victim and one of the alleged assaulters had a disagreement at Miri Airport in Sarawak.
"The dispute began when they started arguing over seats at Miri Airport's boarding area. The victim and one of the suspects yelled at each other.
"However, upon arriving at Senai Airport, the victim was allegedly attacked by a group of men," Tan said.
Police arrested seven men for allegedly assaulting the 39-year-old man by the roadside near Senai International Airport yesterday.
The suspects, aged between 25 and 40, were arrested in a series of raids in the state capital and Skudai here between 8pm yesterday and 12.30am today.
Police also seized two cars, four mobile phones and two rotan rods, believed to have been used in the attack.
The assault occurred at 1.30pm yesterday.
Four of the arrested suspects had prior criminal records.
A 39-second clip of the incident, captured by a passer-by, shows the men attacking the victim with rotan.
The clip, which went viral on social media, shows the victim on the ground with his hands raised to protect himself from repeated blows, while the assailants continued to kick and hit him.
Several vehicles were seen by the roadside with their doors opened.
Tan said the case was being investigated under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment or a fine, or both, and Section 427 for causing mischief, punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine upon conviction.