Biker arrested after shooting

Suspect opened fire at police after chase on MM Alam Road.

LAHORE:

Two men were injured when a biker fleeing the police crashed and opened fire near Hussain Chowk on Thursday.

Gulberg Station House Officer (SHO) Nasir Hameed told The Express Tribune that a Muhafiz Squad team had started chasing two speeding motorbikes on MM Alam Road after they had ignored signals to stop. He said that one of the bikers crashed near Hussain Chowk and opened fire at the chasing police party. The policemen were not hurt, but two bystanders – Ahsan Ashraf, 21, and Akram, 22  were shot. They are being treated at Services Hospital. The other biker sped away.

The SHO said that civilians had helped the police arrest the motorcyclist who crashed. He was later identified as Shahbaz Butt, 17, a resident of Makkah Colony. He too is being treated in Services Hospital for injuries suffered in the crash. He said that the suspect was in possession of a purse that he had admitted to snatching from a woman at Ichhra. The FIR identified the second suspect as Ahsan Butt.

Earlier in the day, news channels reported that the two suspects had opened fire at PML-Q MPA Samina Khawar Hayat, who claimed as such. In subsequent reports, the MPA said that her guards had chased the suspects after they had opened fire at pedestrians. Senior police officials later said that the guards had only arrived at the scene five minutes after the incident had ended.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2012.