Meaty street attack led to police chase

A man has told how he was assaulted with knives, swords and a meat cleaver during a savage assault by an eight-strong gang.

Two Emirati men went on trial at Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday charged with the assault. The other six suspects remain at large.

Official records state the 26-year-old Emirati victim, who was left with wrist and arm injuries, left his house in Bur Dubai at 1.30am and was talking on his phone when two cars stopped beside him and he was

surrounded by the gang.

“They were masked and started running towards me. I was shocked so tried to run but I fell to the ground. They started assaulting me with bars, swords and a meat cleaver,” he said. “They only stopped when passers-by gathered and they escaped.”

A 20-year-old off-duty Emirati policeman happened to see the assault. He said: “They jumped inside a car and I started chasing them until they reached Al Wasl Road.

A radar flashed but we couldn’t record the plate

number because it was covered with a piece of aluminium.

“They crossed a traffic signal which was

yellow and I stopped because it turned to red.”

However, police used the image from the radar to track down the car, which belonged to one of the defendants, a 20-year-old employee at Dubai Civil Defence.

He appeared in court yesterday and denied assault. He claimed the other defendant, who failed to show in court, had taken his car.

Court records did not show a motive for the attack. The case was adjourned.

ali.shouk@7days.ae