Cops caught on video joining angry mob in beating up drunk driver

CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA — A viral video that shows a police officer battering a cowering man has drawn public outrage in Indonesia, after it hit the internet on March 5.

The clip clearly shows an officer of the law not only failing to stop an an angry crowd from repeatedly assaulting an unarmed man, but also getting in several of his own punches and kicks.

According to accounts on social media, the pile-on was filmed in central Java. The victim is said to have been driving his car wildly, endangering pedestrians and other motorists. Police say he was probably under the influence of alcohol.

Mob anger, while inexcusable, is perhaps understandable. A police officer acting like a vigilante, however? For netizens in Indonesia, that has crossed a line.

On Facebook, where the clip was widely shared, the racial angle has generated a lot of discussion. At one point in the video, one of his attackers asks the man whether he’s a Christian. The man is indeed a Chinese-Indonesian.

The Indonesian National Police had confirmed the incident and they said that the driver was drunk. But another excuses said that he was depressed and mentally ill. We don’t know what the exactly reason is.

Indonesia’s National Police has acknowledged the incident and says the man was drunk. His family has denied the charge against him and says he merely has mental health issues.

But the issue here must not be obscured — this is a police officer attacking a suspect not resisting arrest, and that is simply not acceptable.