Improbable; More Raid Leads to Firing by "Municipality" Policemen Alarms in Essex, Lille peu members of the Settlement Police, including a foreigner, were arrested and detained by the Japanese Gendarmerie in the western area shortly after midday yesterday.and only two'of them had been released last night.
The incident came about when a Police search party from the Pootoo Róad Station attempted to search a Chinese on a trolley bus in Robison Road, near the intersection of Penang Roàd, and the man resented the attempt saying he was a "public official."
As he could not prove his status by any papers the Police proceed led with their search. He struggled with a Chinese constable and pulled the latter out of the vehicle on to the road. A "Spetial Municipality" policeman to whom the suspect shouted fired a rifle-shot and later other "Municipality" police fired a number of shots. fired, none of them however apparently taking effect. Only one bul-Altogether ten or twelve shots were Jet was discharged from the pistol of a Settlement' policeman. It issued accidentally from the gun held by the C.P.C. involved in the tussle with the suspect when the latter grabbed his. arm.
The incident started at 12.35 o'clock noon. Próbationary Sergeant J. O. Egeberg, a Danish subject, was in charge of a routine search-party consisting of four Chinese constables and a Chinese female searcher. The four C.P.Cs had just boarded an eastbound Route 16 trolley bus and two were in each compartment looking for arms. One of the constables wanted to search a Chinese in the first-class Section when the latter made an outcry saying he was a public official and could not be touched, The policeman -asked if he had any credentials to prove his statement and he failed to produce any. Instead he grabbed the Chinese constable and dragged him out of the car.
"City" Policeman Fires Rifle An attempt was made to arrest the man but he shouted to a "Special Municipality" policeman who was standing with a rifle at the intersect tion. This policeman fired his rifle without, however, wounding anyone. The shot brought more "Special Municipality" police to the scene and several more shots were fired. In addition a group of Japanese Gendarmes came running from the Gendarmerie sub-station in Robison Road about forty yards west of Penang Road. The Gendarmes seized Sergeant Egeberg, two of the Chinese constables and the woman searcher and pulled them into the sub-station.
An alarm was despatched to the Pootoo Road Station whence police officers hurried to the scene. They were not admitted and subsequently Mr. A. H. Samson, Assistant Commissioner of Police, likewise was refused entry. The only foreigners admitted were two officers of the Italian Marines, in whose defence sector the sub-station is situated.
Soon afterwards the four members of the Setilement Police were conveyed, under armed escort, to the Western headquarters of the Japanese Gendarmerie at 94 Jessfield Road.
There, again, they were held incommunicado, Capt. H. M. Smyth, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. R. W. Yorke, Assistant Commissioner and Divisional Officer, and Mr. Samson trying in vain to sce them. Major K. M. Bourne, Commissiozer, personally investigated the affair in detail at Pootoo Road Station.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.