PETALING JAYA, April 1 — Police have arrested a man in Johor who is suspected of driving a Proton Wira that blocked a fire truck in a video that went viral this week.
Johor Bahru South police chief assistant commissioner Mohd Padzli Mohd Zain issued a statement saying that a team from the traffic investigation and enforcement department successfully tracked down the suspect at 9.30pm on March 30.
Preliminary results from a urine test showed that the 33-year-old factory operator was negative for drugs and checks by the police found that he has no criminal record.
Cops also seized a Proton Wira that is believed to be the same car seen in the viral video, which was filmed back on April 27 in 2019.
The minute-long clip sparked fury online after firefighter Mohd Ridzwan Shah posted it to his TikTok on March 28 this year and urged Malaysians not to follow the Proton driver’s example.
The dashcam footage showed the Proton driver overtaking the fire truck, forcing the firefighters to trail behind it as they weaved their way through the traffic jam.
At one point, they got stuck on the road when the Proton driver hesitated to cross a busy intersection.
The driver then stuck his arm out and signalled to other vehicles to stop and let them pass.
Mohd Padzli said the act not only posed a risk to the driver but to other road users around him as he was not authorised to clear the way for the fire truck.
“Based on a video that went viral on social media, a Proton Wira was seen blocking a team of firefighters on their way to an emergency at the traffic light intersection on Jalan Bakar Batu, Johor Baru.
“The suspect took advantage of the situation by driving in front of the fire truck and used his arm to signal to other vehicles to give way without having the authorisation to do so.
“(The suspect also) endangered himself and other road users by running a red light,” said Mohd Padzli.
The police chief ended his statement by advising road users to be aware of their surroundings and to give way to emergency vehicles when they hear sirens on the road.
The suspect is being investigated under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving and faces a jail term of five years and a fine of up to RM15,000 if found guilty.
He is also being investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a civil servant’s duties as well as the Road Traffic Rules 1959 for not giving way to an emergency vehicle after hearing its siren and for running a red light.
