Driver Survives Shooting By Reclining Seat

BATU KAWAN, July 3 (Bernama) -- A man who survived a shooting targeting the four-wheel drive vehicle he was in managed to recline his driver's seat fully flat just in time during the incident which occurred in front of a primary school in Sungai Nyior here on Tuesday.

Penang Deputy Police Chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the man had initially only reclined his seat halfway while waiting for his child to return from school.

“According to the man, he saw a motorcycle speeding towards his vehicle and immediately reclined the driver’s seat fully, which caused the shots fired by the two suspects on the motorcycle to miss him.

“Police are currently conducting further investigations, and we are not ruling out the possibility that the victim knows the two men who opened fire at his vehicle, although he denies it,” he said when met here today.

He was met at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Public Market and Hawker Centre in Bandar Cassia, Batu Kawan, officiated by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Elaborating further, Mohd Alwi said the man, in his 40s, is a businessman, and further checks revealed he has four previous criminal records.

He said police do not rule out the possibility that the incident is linked to gangsterism, as investigations revealed the man was previously a gang member, although he is no longer involved in such activities.

“Penang police have also set up a special team to carry out a detailed investigation into the case, including efforts to trace the two men who opened fire during the incident,” he said.

He also gave assurance that although the incident occurred in front of a school, the security situation in the state is under control and police have stepped up security measures.

-- BERNAMA