PETALING JAYA, July 22 — Ten more people have been arrested by police in connection with Monday evening’s brawl between two groups in Wangsa Maju.

Police dismissed claims of it being racially motivated, citing jealousy as the main motive.

According to initial investigation, the fight broke out after the elder brother of a 14-year-old girl, approached his sister and her boyfriend in Wangsa Walk.

The elder brother, who disapproved of the couple’s relationship, brought several friends with him.

They then confronted the boyfriend, who was prepared with a gang of his own, after having caught wind of the imminent confrontation.

Witnesses said the verbal argument between the groups quickly escalated into an all-out brawl.

The ensuing chaos caused panic with many shoppers fleeing the mall in fear. 

The fight reportedly involved the use of metal rods, wooden sticks, helmets and even a motorcycle fork-lock s. Mall security notified police, who arrived at the scene and quickly restored order They arrested 11 male suspects aged 15 to 29.

The clash saw five people injured with one even suffering a broken neck.

The five were sent to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment. Four have been discharged.

“Those caught will be remanded until July 24. We would like to clarify this fight happened out of jealousy and was not racially motivated,” said Wangsa Maju Police chief Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi.

“Anyone caught spreading false information will be apprehended.”

He said police will also look at footages from the mall’s closed-circuit televisions to identify other suspects.