@ppcheti
A suspected drug dealer who attempted to flee arrest by jumping into the ocean has been arrested and is being held by Lamu police.
Members of the public were treated to a dramatic scene on Thursday after Abdul Ali alias Adu, 30, a notorious ex-convict, threatened police officers who tried to arrest him with a panga before jumping into the Indian Ocean.
The man swam for over 30 minutes in his quest to escape as police boats swivelled around him.
The suspect, a seasoned swimmer, would disappear under water for several minutes only to re-appear in different locations leaving police officers frustrated on how to catch him.
The boats had to keep chasing after him as he swam towards the deepest parts of the Indian Ocean with a clear intent to escape.
The timely arrival of a marine patrol boat however brought the whole scene to an end as the skilled officers dived into the water, retrieved and arrested the suspect.
However the drama of the man’s arrest didn’t end there as shortly after, police officers who were escorting the suspect to the station were accosted and attacked by two men.
The men, identified as Ali Mohammad and Famau Muhashe, tried to obstruct the officers from executing their duties at the Lamu island seafront.
One man threw a projectile at the officers, seriously wounding one of the police constables identified as Leonard Mutai.
The two were later arrested.
All the three men are currently in police custody awaiting arraignment next week.
Its not the first time a suspect has thrown himself in the ocean in a bid to resist arrest in Lamu.
In October 2016, Athman Vae, 30, from Mbwajumwali Village in Lamu East jumped into the ocean and swam for over two hours in handcuffs before he was recaptured.
He had been caught ferrying 50 stones of bhang from Lamu Island to Kizingitini in Lamu East.
In September 2020, police at the Lamu town seafront were forced to shoot and kill a notorious jailbird Fahdil Muhiddin alias Fadhil Ngoma.
Muhiddin was resisting arrest and confronting the officers using a toy gun and knife as they arrested him for robbery with violence.
The man in an attempt to evade arrest had jumped into the ocean and swam into the mangrove island about a kilometre away.
In August 2020, Bunu Sabaki, 30, was killed by police after he refused to surrender and instead attempted to attack the officers trying to arrest him.
The same week, a panga-wielding thug was killed after he attacked and injured police officers in Siyu, Lamu East.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
