0 Badung hit by drive-by shooting, stabbing

In the past two days, violent crimes in the form of a drive-by shooting and a stabbing have occurred in the island’s most popular tourist regency, Badung. On Wednesday night at around 8:30 p.m., three shots were fired on Jl. Sri Rama in Legian, Kuta district, Badung. Made Darta, a taxi driver for Komotra taxi company, was eating dinner at a food stall near his parked vehicle on Jl. Sri Rama when the shots rang out. As Darta turned his head to see what was going on, he saw two Caucasian males ride down the street on a Honda Scoopy motorcycle. 

Darta approached his taxi and discovered holes on the front and rear windshields of his taxi. Residents in the neighborhood confirmed that they also had heard the gunshots, and thought that maybe some foreigners were driving while under the influence. When the gunshots occurred, some people panicked, immediately laying on the ground to avoid being hit by stray bullets. Kuta police precinct chief Comr. Dedi Udiana said bullet holes were not only found on Darta’s taxi but also on the front and rear windshields of a privately owned Honda Jazz car belonging to Muhammad Sabri. 

“We are still looking for the perpetrators,” said Dedi, adding that Darta, Muhammad and two local residents had been questioned as witnesses. The police similarly alleged that the foreigners were probably drunk and they may still be in possession of the gun. At the scene, police found three pellets, which are believed to come from a 4.5 millimeter airgun. Airsoft guns and airguns are readily available in Indonesia despite the police’s ongoing crackdowns on these types of toy weapons that have been repeatedly used by criminals. Numerous online stores offer imported airguns, including high-powered ones that discharge metal pellets at destructively high speeds. 

“It must be an airgun because a pellet released by an airsoft gun would not reach the speed required to pierce a pane of glass, let alone the kind of tempered glass found in vehicles,” an airsoft gun hobbyist, Agus Hendra, said. Separately, in neighboring Kuta Selatan district, police have been investigating since Thursday a stabbing that took place at karaoke bar Kafe Wirama, which is located on Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai in Nusa Dua. Three people suffered wounds in the attack; they have been identified as I Wayan Pagehyasa alias Kojek, I Komang Ariasa alias Sipik and I Wayan Wirawan, all of whom were working in the café at the time of the incident. 

“We are still looking for one of the suspects, who goes by the name of Nyamprut,” said Kuta Selatan police precinct chief Comr. Wayan Nuriata. Allegedly, 25 people became involved in a fight when they arrived at the karaoke bar. Twenty-four suspects have been arrested by the police and Nyamprut is the last one still unaccounted for. The group of 25 arrived at Kafe Wirama on Thursday night seeking revenge, following an earlier incident during which Wayan Suardika aka Dolot was allegedly beaten up by Kojek, a staff member at the café. Instead of reporting the beating to the police, Dolot’s colleagues thronged inside the café searching for their target. 

After they found Kojek, who works as the café’s bartender, one of the group stabbed him in the stomach and hand. Meanwhile, Kojek’s fellow staff member, Sipik, sustained bruises to his head, while Wirawan received a scratch to his waist.

source : bali daily