Woman held at knifepoint by ex-boyfriend safe after good Samaritans’ intervention

Cops confirm man in video who was holding a weapon to victim's neck on Aug 4 was arrested after he was first apprehended by members of the public

A video went viral today, showing an incident at a Butterworth mall involving a man holding up a knife to a woman’s neck before he was apprehended by the public and arrested by police. – Screengrab, August 7, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR – A woman owes her life to good Samaritans after being rescued from a man believed to be her disgruntled-turned-aggressive ex-boyfriend after he held her at knifepoint in a Butterworth mall.  

A video of the incident has since gone viral on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) and X, with captions suggesting that the ordeal occurred at a Lotus hypermarket outlet.  

The one-minute and 14-second recording showed a man holding a knife to a woman’s neck before the footage switched to showing drops of blood on the floor and authorities taking the suspect into custody.  

In a statement from Seberang Prai Utara police chief Anuar Abd Rahman, the incident, which happened on August 4, saw the suspect injuring the victim’s finger with the knife during a struggle.   

“The suspect was apprehended by members of the public and rearrested by Butterworth police,” the statement reads.  

Authorities said they had received a remand order from the Butterworth magistrates’ court on August 5 to detain the suspect further without specifying the length of detention. 

Police are conducting investigations under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt by means of any instrument for shooting, stabbing or cutting, and Section 506 for criminal intimidation.  

Anuar said authorities will proceed to charge the suspect immediately upon receiving orders from the deputy public prosecutor. – August 7, 2024