17 men involved in brawl in Sandakan arrested

SANDAKAN - Police have arrested 17 men suspected to be involved in a fight that happened in front of an entertainment outlet in Bandar Utama Batu 6, here, on Saturday.

The men aged between 19 and 40 were arrested on Monday following a video of the incident that went viral on social media on Sunday.

Sandakan Deputy District Police Chief Superintendent Mohd Hamizi Halim said the suspects were detained by a team from the Sandakan district police headquarters (IPD) Criminal Investigation Department.

"Initial investigation revealed that there was fight which happened at about 11.30pm on Saturday in front of the entertainment centre.

"All the individuals involved are still in remand to facilitate the investigation and the cause of the said fight is still being investigated," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added that the case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting which carries an imprisonment of up to two years or a fine or both, if convicted.

The 20-second video of the incident showed a group of men beating up each other in front of the premises.