A TAXI driver told the coroner’s court today that he was left in a daze when a fire truck reversed into and spun his vehicle by 180 degrees during the height of the riots outside the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya, Selangor last November.

K. Arumugam, 66, said that the fire truck had reversed into a van in front of his taxi, and once the van had been moved out of the way, the fire truck continued to back up into his taxi.

“The fire truck backed up into the van, hitting its side and pushing it out of the way. Before I could do anything, the truck was backing up into the front left of my taxi and it was spun around,” he said.

Arumugam, who has been a taxi driver for the past 20 years, said he was on the way home when he passed the area.

DPP Zhafran Rahim Hamzah asked Arumugam whether he saw rioters storming the truck at that time.

“I didn’t see anything, I was just shocked and frightened that the firetruck had backed up into my car,” he said.

Arumugam told the Shah Alam Coroner’s Court that after his car was hit and spun, he was stuck in the car for some 20 minutes as he was unable to open the car door.

“I was in my car for about 20 minutes and then some members of the public helped me as my car door was damaged and I couldn’t get out.”

Arumugam said the fire truck and van had left the scene by the time he got out.

“I was dazed (pening) after getting out of the car, the fire truck and van had gone. After they (the bystanders) helped me get out, I then got back in the car and stayed there for another 30 minutes to calm myself down because I was distraught and could not think,” he said.

When asked if he had seen a group of people carrying a fireman, or even a mob near the temple that night, Arumugam told the court that he does not remember seeing anything.

“There were some people standing around. That’s when they helped me get out of the car,” he said.

Police investigations revealed that there could be two possibilities as to what caused Adib’s injuries: either he was beaten by a mob or run over by a reversing fire engine.

Also present during the inquest were family lawyers of the late fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim. His family are being represented by Mohd Kamaruzaman A Wahab, Ahmad Taufiq Baharum, and Syazlin Mansor.

Arumugam is the twelfth witness in the inquest in Adib’s death.

Earlier today, the 11th witness, Nassaruddin Abdullah, a 23-year-old technician who works for YTL failed to show up at the morning session of the inquest due to a personal family emergency.

Adib died on December 17 from lung injuries sustained during the riots.

The inquest will take a break tomorrow and will resume with the 13th witness on Thursday at 10.30 am. – February 19, 2019.