KOTA KINABALU: A man who had allegedly tried attacking three teenagers with a machete in the Tawau district has been nabbed.

The suspect, a 37-year-old undocumented Indonesian, was said to have started chasing the teenagers comprising a boy and two girls at 1.43pm, as they were walking through an oil palm estate at Jalan Kongsi 8, on Friday (Nov 24).

It is learnt that the trio were heading to school when the suspect started chasing after them, before throwing a machete at them.

Tawau deputy police chief Supt Champin Piuh said based on a police report lodged, the teenagers managed to avoid being hit by the machete, which had a cover on.

“They ran and screamed for help and there were people in the area,” he said in a statement Saturday (Nov 25).

He said estate workers in the area helped to stop the man and held him down while others called the police for assistance.

“Police arrived at the scene at 2pm following the report, and nabbed the suspect,” said Supt Champin.

He said the cause of the attack is still under investigation and the suspect will be probed for criminal intimidation.

He said they found the suspect to be an illegal immigrant and will also hand him over to the Immigration Department for further action under the Immigration Act.

Earlier, there was a video being circulated about the alleged attack, showing a man being taken away for what internet users claimed was an attempted rape and robbery along Jalan Kongsi 8, Tawau.