11 claim trial to rioting with weapons outside Air Itam school

Eleven men, aged between 19 and 34, including a college student, appeared in court on August 29, pleading not guilty to charges of rioting and possessing objects that could serve as weapons. The accused, who ranged in age from 19 to 34, stood before the George Town Magistrates Court and denied the allegations. The incident occurred outside SJK(C) Kong Min Branch 2, Air Itam, at 2:45 am on the same day.

The court, as reported by Utusan Malaysia, heard that the men were charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code, coupled with Section 120B. If found guilty, each defendant could face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Siti Marissa Safina Saiful Adli, a deputy public prosecutor, is handling the case. Tony Yen is being represented by Edric Loo, while the remaining accused are being handled by K Mahendran.

The court granted bail at RM6,000 with one surety for each defendant, and set a date of October 19 for document submission. Initially, 23 people were arrested following the event, which allegedly began as a dispute over debt after a meeting at a food court in Paya Terubong. This dispute escalated to a car-ramming incident that resulted in some victims sustaining injuries.