SHAH ALAM: A noisy and rowdy crowd gathered around the late fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim after he fell down from being pinned in between two vehicles.
Pakistani citizen Mohsin Budd, 24, told the coroner's court that he saw the crowd surrounding Adib as he laid on the ground with his hands hugging his chest.
"I saw people surrounding the victim after he fell. It was chaotic. There were some people carrying plastic bottles. They were noisy and there were so many people as it was a big crowd.
"The crowd blocked my view so I do not know what happened from then on," said Mohsin, when answering a question from coroner Rofiah Mohammad today.
Mohsin, who is an air condition technician, had been visiting a friend near the site of rioting at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year.
He was the 20th witness in the inquest into Adib's death, which entered its 14th day.
Yesterday, Mohsin told the coroner's court that he saw two firemen alighting the Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) truck and another firemen alighting the Emergency Medical Response Service (EMRS) van, which trailed behind the truck.
Mohsin also testified yesterday that when the mob charged towards the fire and rescue team, one firemen from the FRT returned to the FRT, while the second fireman from the FRT went into the EMRS van.
The third fireman, whom Mohsin believed was Adib based on the latter's clothing and the news reports he read, did not get into the EMRS van again.
Adib was initially among two firemen who were in the EMRS van when it arrived at the temple to put out a vehicle fire.
However, he was not inside in the van when it left the scene as another fireman from the FRT truck went into the van before the vehicle left the scene.
Mohsin spoke in Punjabi through a court translator.
He elaborated to Adib's family's lawyer, Kamaruzaman A. Wahab about what he saw.
Kamaruzaman: The victim was squeezed in between two vehicles, correct?
Mohsin: It was too near. He was in between (the vehicles). I don't think squeezed is the right word (court translator says this). He was pinned in between. He was sandwiched in between the van and the car.
Kamaruzaman: Which part of the van was he pinned against?
Mohsin: I don't know which part, but he then fell down and his hands were like this (Mohsin shows gesture of his arms crossed in front of his chest).
Kamaruzaman: Which body part touched the van?
Mohsin: Shoulder. And then he turned facing towards the van. The van moved again and he was pinned in between (the van and a car). When (the van) moved again, the victim fell.
Kamaruzaman: So at that time, the victim was facing the van?
Mohsin: Facing the van.
When answering a separate question from Housing and Local Government Ministry lawyer Syazlin Mansor, Mohsin said that Adib had been standing in front of the van's rear left tyre before the mob came.
"The fireman tried to move away quickly to save himself."
The inquest is being held before coroner Rofiah Mohamad.
It was claimed that Muhammad Adib, 24, died from severe injuries sustained after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27.
He was part of an emergency response team dispatched to the scene to douse a vehicle which had been torched.
Despite showing signs of recovery while being treated at the National Heart Institute, Adib died on Dec 17.
