Visualise driving through the early morning hours on a highway and suddenly being forced to a stop by a crowd of people who have taken up the entire highway. Motorists caught up along the Linkedua Motorway in Johor couldn’t help but be shocked to see cars stalled as an illegal motorcycle race was let loose and fireworks were thrown into the air.
The crash reportedly occurred on Aug. 22 on a heavily travelled section of the road. The footage of the chaotic scene was then posted on Threads, a social media platform, and soon became viral and incited a lot of outrage from online users.
A street race is not permitted on the highway.
The viral video shows multiple scenes of people standing directly across the multi-lane motorway and blocking incoming vehicles. Meanwhile, a mass of people had lined the street’s edge, anxiously awaiting the start of the street race.
Moments after traffic was brought to a standstill, two motorcycles were filmed speeding past the crowd at high speeds. A police statement said that the two cyclists were returning from KM33 close to the Senai Utara Toll interchange to KM31 close to the Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) Toll interchange. But the serial numbers or the exact type of motorcycles were not right away discernible from the video clip.
Build Fireworks Light Up the Sky
The video does not stop the blocking of a public highway; as if that were not enough, it also concludes with fireworks being fired directly into the night sky. The explosions lit up the scene, and people could be seen celebrating at the scene, adding to the chaos on the road.
The original uploader said that he was completely amazed that the group could be so blatant in blocking a major highway for an unsanctioned event. The internet soon abounded with criticism of the individuals concerned, including the fact that many drivers were inconvenienced as well as the extreme danger it posed to innocent road users.
Police start a manhunt for suspects.
A large number of people reacted to this huge public outrage on the internet, leading to the investigation of police forces to identify all those involved in the illegal gathering. The district’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division is looking into the two competitive riders and the spectators lining the highway, said Police Chief Tan Seng Lee of the District Police.
This case is being investigated for reckless and dangerous riding pursuant to Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. The investigation has also been extended to the federal police department at Bukit Aman, which was notified about the viral video.
Authorities are appealing members of the public for help.
One person has already been identified as being at the scene of the race by investigators that they think may have been there during the race. Traffic police are working closely with the highway operator, PLUS Malaysia Berhad, to examine CCTV footage recorded by the surveillance cameras set up along that stretch of the motorway to obtain more evidence.
The police in Kuala Lumpur are still investigating the identities of all the people involved and who watched the incident. The public is encouraged to call on the investigating officer, Inspector Ahmad Safuan Abu Naim, or go directly to the nearest police station for any information, footage or leads that may assist in the investigation.
Watch the video here:
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