Fire truck driver testifies he was 'fearful' of mob attack at temple riot

The driver of a fire truck deployed to the riot scenes near the Sri Mahamariamman temple in Seafield last November told an inquest today that he had reversed the vehicle in a state of panic after being chased away by a mob of civilians.

Md Eliza Mohd Noor, the second witness in the inquest to determine firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's cause of death, said the mob chanted "Bomba pergi balik, jangan padam!" and subsequently hit his front mirror with bricks and helmets.

"They shouted it many times, and made the ‘shooing' hand signal asking us to leave.

"After the windscreen cracked, I was scared. I immediately reversed the vehicle," said Md Eliza to questions from deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah, who is the inquest coordinating officer.

Md Eliza told the Shah Alam Coroner Court that he saw a man breaking apart from the mob of about 50 people to knock the fire truck's front mirror with a white pole, and seconds later, bricks, helmets, and other unidentified objects were hurled towards it.

He said his team, also comprising a supervising officer and five other personnel, were deployed from the Subang Jaya fire station to put out the fire of a burning car, and they arrived on site at 1.12am on Nov 27.

They were accompanied by an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van where the late Adib was assigned as a medical officer.

[More to follow] - Mkini