SHAH ALAM: A family of six, including four children, endured a terrifying ordeal following the shooting incident at a mall in Malaysia’s Selangor state after the gunman boarded their vehicle and held them for 45 minutes in his escape bid.
Malay language daily Sinar Harian reported on Monday (Feb 10) that the family was leaving the premises of the Setia City Mall in Setia Alam when the gunman appeared in the parking area where their vehicle was parked.
The mall is about a 40-minute drive out of Kuala Lumpur.
“We were about to enter our car when he suddenly appeared in the parking area and pointed a gun at us. I was stunned. He even fired a shot at the wall to show that the weapon was real,” said the father in the family, who is in his 30s.
The man told Sinar Harian that his family – which included his wife and four children – had just finished their meal at a restaurant in the mall when they were ordered to leave the premises by security personnel.
“We didn’t know what was going on, but I quickly took my family out of the mall. As we were heading to the parking area, I heard a loud bang.
“At first, I thought it was just the sound of a car hitting a speed bump. But then I saw multiple vehicles speeding away. Just as we were about to get into our car, the suspect suddenly appeared and pointed a gun at us,” he said.
The suspected gunman then forced the family into their car.
“I asked him to put away the gun so the children wouldn’t be scared,” he said, adding that the shooter had gotten into the back seat.
The Sinar Harian report did not state whether the gunman did as asked. The ages of the children were also not reported.
The victim and his family then spent 45 minutes in the car with the suspect before he ordered them to stop by the side of a highway.
He then escaped with the memory card from the dashcam.
Earlier, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan identified the suspect as a Malaysian man in his 30s who has a criminal record with 11 previous cases – including for drug-related offences.
Bernama reported that a preliminary investigation by the police found that the suspect had fired shots at a cleaner because he was angry after being told to shift his items in the mall.
Various police units are still tracking the suspect’s whereabouts, with police in neighbouring states and border authorities also told to stay alert, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain previously told local media.
