Mental illness is a scourge that plagues and torments one’s mind, where it can cause non-violent individuals to commit acts that pose a danger to those around them.
A man who was believed to be mentally unstable left two police officers injured during a tense two hour stand-off as he took his own mother hostage with a meat cleaver.
Held mom and sister hostage with meat cleaver
Harian Metro reported that the incident took place at a house located at Taman Jaya Diri, Manggatal near Kota Kinabalu at 2.30pm yesterday (July 17).
Kota Kinabalu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said in a statement that police received a complaint from a member of the public about a man who had gone berserk in the house while wielding a meat cleaver.
He added that the 42-year-old man had locked his mother and sister in the house, where he also assaulted his sister.
“After receiving the complaint, I headed to the scene with the crime investigation division head along with other personnel.
“When we arrived, we tried persuading the suspect to turn himself in, but he refused and only agreed to release his sister before locking himself in the bedroom with his mother,” he said.
Mentally unstable man stabs 2 M’sian police officers
After two hours, police decided to break down the bedroom door and save the suspect’s mother as he showed no signs of letting her go.
At that moment, the suspect charged towards the officers and stabbed two of them, one a sergeant and the other an inspector.
Both sustained injuries to their arms, heads, and right shoulders. As for the suspect, he suffered light injuries to his face while his mother was unharmed. The officers were later sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.
NST reported that the suspect was believed to be receiving psychiatric treatment at Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang and the case is now being probed under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years.
Seeking for help is not a sign of weakness. If you or anyone are facing mental distress, please give the following helplines a call:
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