Teen tries to stab Grab driver in Kedah but gets foiled by seat belt

A 13-year-old boy in Malaysia was arrested after he attempted to stab a Grab driver with a knife on Monday (Nov 27) evening.

Fortunately, the driver escaped unharmed as the weapon had struck his seat belt instead.

Dashcam footage of the incident showed the private-hire driver navigating several alleyways in Kedah while speaking and gesturing to the teen, reported Sin Chew Daily.

When the driver stopped the car and took cash out from his shirt pocket, the boy suddenly leaned forward with a knife in hand and thrust the weapon at the driver's chest.

The quick-thinking driver bit the passenger's arm, and wrestled the knife from the teen, forcing the latter to flee.

A video of the incident went viral on Facebook, garnering over half a million views.

A police report was filed and the teen was arrested on the same night, reported New Straits Times.

Kuala Muda district police chief Zaidy Che Hassan said that the 65-year-old driver was ferrying the passenger from Taman Keladi to Bandar Sri Astana.

During the journey, the teen had asked to borrow RM50 (S$14) to pay his rent, but the driver said the boy would have to alight from the car if he couldn't pay the fare.

However, the passenger refused and asked the driver to take him to his house in Bandar Sri Astana for him to get money to pay for his ride.

"Upon arriving in Bandar Sri Astana, the boy requested to be driven back to Taman Keladi. The elderly driver received a payment of RM18 before the teenager delayed the process, taking him through several lanes," said Zaidy in a statement on Tuesday.

He was then asked to pay an additional RM9.

"The passenger gave RM20, but when the driver tried to return the change, the teen threatened to stab the driver's left chest, in an attempt to snatch money from his pocket," said Zaidy.

He added that the elderly driver did not suffer any injury during the incident.

A 25-centimetre-long knife left behind in the car was also seized, reported The Star.

According to the police, it is believed that the boy got angry after he was scolded by the private-hire driver, and wanted to take back his money.

"Investigations found that the teen suspect is the eldest of four siblings in the family and did not come from a problematic background," added Zaidy.

The case is being investigated for attempted robbery.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com