A SHOCKING dashcam footage went viral on social media yesterday (Nov 27) showing an e-hailing driver narrowly escaping death when his passenger suddenly took a knife and attempted to stab him in the chest.
According to sources, the incident happened on the same day it went viral in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
In the one-minute clip posted to the Facebook group Penduduk Sungai Petani Kedah yesterday, it showed a Grab driver fetching a 13-year-old boy in his car.
Throughout the ride, the Grab driver could be heard scolding the teen for bringing him around aimlessly for the past one hour and told him not to “main-main” (mess around).
Upon reaching the destination given by the boy, the Grab driver stopped his car and was reaching into his breast pocket to give the teen his change when the former suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed his chest.
The knife had fortunately landed on the seatbelt, allowing the elderly driver to bite the teen’s hand to defend himself. The teen then flung open the car door and fled on foot.
CUBAAN MEMBUNUH BERSENJATA.
Kejadian di Sg Petani, Kedah. Harap2 pisau tu tak tertusuk ke dalam. Allahuakbar. Budak2 lg dah berani. Minit ke 1:10 kalau nak fast forward. Viralkan sampai dapat budak ni. pic.twitter.com/eAWFnOlsMJ
— F L Y (@sungaikelaut) November 27, 2023
What actually went down
According to Kuala Muda police chief Zaidy Che Hassan, the incident occurred at around 5.43pm when the 65-year-old victim picked up the teenager in Taman Keladi for a drop-off in Bandar Sri Astana.
Zaidy said the teenager had asked to borrow RM50 to pay for his housing rent, but the driver told him that if he did not have money, he would be forced to drop him off.
“However, the teenager refused and asked the driver to take him to Bandar Sri Astana to get money to pay for the Grab ride,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian today (Nov 28).
Upon reaching Bandar Sri Astana, Zaidy said the teenager then changed his destination back to Taman Keladi, leading to a longer route and an additional fare request of RM9.
“He then handed over RM20, but when the driver wanted to return the change, the teenager held a knife to the left side of the victim’s chest and attempted to snatch money from his pocket.
“The victim grabbed the knife and bit the teenager’s hand to defend himself and the suspect ran away.”
Following the incident, the police received a report at around 8pm, and the teenager was arrested two hours later with the cops also managing to seize a 25-cm black-handled knife carried by the teenager.
The cops also confirmed that the victim did not sustain any injuries.
“In addition, there is a recording through a dashcam installed in the e-hailing vehicle,” Zaidy added.
According to the police, the teenager’s urine came back negative for drugs, and he has no prior criminal record.
“The case is being investigated under Section 393 of the Penal Code for attempted robbery,” Zaidy said.
Meanwhile, one of the victim’s children reportedly said their father is currently resting at home and is unsure if a change of profession is in the cards following the events.
“For the time being, my father wants to rest and avoid seeing anyone, and therefore decided to hand over the investigation into yesterday’s incident to the police.
“My father is fine, and he is lucky he did not suffer any injuries,” they were quoted as saying as Harian Metro. – Nov 28, 2023
